A few weeks ago, one of my friends told me about inner-child healing. She didn’t have to delve into much more detail for me to be completely hooked with this concept- I went home and watched YouTube videos, searched it up on Pinterest, and read a number of blog posts about it.
I’m not an expert, but I deeply believe that inner-child healing is a process EVERY human being needs to go through. It can only help you understand yourself and your experiences better, all three versions: past, present, and future. Where am I, how did I get here, and where do I want to go? It will also help you understand other people with empathy, clarity, and kindness.
One of my favorite ways to process anything is to write about it! So, here are some writing prompts to help you feel aligned with and heal your inner-child. Some are more serious and emotionally taxing to think about, while others are more lighthearted, but they all serve the same purpose: to help you vividly remember and get closer to your inner-child.
1. What did you do for fun as a child? If you stopped doing these activities, why? Would you like to resume them, or not?
2. Write about a childhood experience that may have influenced an insecurity or fear you currently have.
3. What did you daydream about as a child?
4. Describe a time when your child-self felt misunderstood. What do you wish you could tell them now?
5. What stories did you enjoy as a child (book, TV show, movie, etc.)? How did they make you feel?
6. During elementary school, what did your daily routine look like after you got home?
7. Who was your hero as a child (fictional or non-fictional) and why? Why did you admire them?
8. When you would play “pretend” as a child, what were the imaginary scenarios you would create?
9. Write about your closest friends in elementary and middle school, and if you are still close. Why or why not?
10. Who were your favorite teachers in elementary and middle school?
11. Where did you think you would be by now, as a kid?
12. Describe a time you felt unsafe as a child.
13. What was your favorite subject in school as a child?
14. Was your outlook on life generally more pessimistic or optimistic as a child in comparison to your current outlook?
15. Write about a specific experience you feel ended the “innocence” of childhood for you, a moment where you lost some of that innocence.
16. Who hurt you the most during your childhood? Have you forgiven them, yet, or not?
17. Describe a time your child-self may have hurt someone else’s feelings.
18. What was the hardest thing you went through as a kid?
Give yourself patience and self-compassion as you work on healing and getting to know your inner-child. Everything you feel is valid. It can be extremely difficult and traumatizing to open this part of our lives that we probably haven’t thought about in such detail before.
However, little by little, you will find that most, if not all, behaviors, thought patterns, principles, morals, triggers, personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, and fears/insecurities you have now stem from your childhood. Basically, everything about you, which is why understanding your inner-child is so important. Take your time with it.