In times like these, we often find ourselves having to grow up too fast. A lot of us in university started our journey at the young age of 17, when we’ve already had to make the decision as to what program we’re entering and the path of our life’s work. Some of us have moved away from home and been forced to do everything on our own. There are also plenty of people paying the massive fees post-secondary education comes with. We’ve been forced to grow up too fast for our entire lives. We’ve rushed through childhood and become adults who have to worry about all the issues the real world presents us. We lose our inner child because we’re forced to make adult decisions and follow adult habits. We may not have developed all the skills and things we need as an adult in our childhood, but what happens when we focus on healing and regaining that inner child?
Those who need their inner child healed are those who have been forced to become too independent or believe being independent is something they must do. This can lead to a decline in mental well-being and affect all aspects of life including friendships, relationships, school and hobbies. In order to help this and, in turn, heal the inner child, the issues surrounding the need to heal the inner child must be addressed. What unmet needs from childhood do you have? This can be discovered through daily triggers and struggles you may have. This may be a difficult process in which a person is required to dig deep into their memories and work through many things but in the end, this is the first step to fixing the issue.
Once you have discovered why your inner child needs healing, it’s time to take action. When you think of childhood, you think of a more carefree time. What things do children do in order to make them this way? It’s harder to push away thoughts and negative emotions in adulthood because our understanding of the world is far more developed, however, there are methods of calming a person down and clearing thoughts. Things such as journaling and meditation, for example, may assist in creating a clearer mind in order to heal from the negative aspects of life.
The final aspect of healing your inner child is embracing things you loved as a kid or things you never got to enjoy as a kid that you now have access to. Many people are forced to suppress their creative sides in order to fit in with the analytical and technical world full of routine. Find something creative to do as a hobby or even as something to incorporate into your everyday life. The saying “work hard, play hard” comes into play here in reference to finding a balance between stressful adult life and holding onto the playful aspects of childhood. Grab an ice cream cone with friends, play the games you used to enjoy, paint and draw even if you’re bad at it and skip rocks on the beach without worrying about what comes next. One of the issues in adulthood is always worrying about the next thing. Children are so focused on the now, as that is the only thing that matters to them. This is a mindset all adults should develop from children. There is a realization that the only moment that exists is now. Therefore, worry only about what you’re doing right now and let the rest handle itself when the time comes.
Healing your inner child is something many adults don’t think of doing, as it seems like moving backwards in life to think about the past. However, sometimes you have to draw from mindsets of the past, incorporate them into the present and develop your own balanced version of playful adulthood. We all grow up too fast, but by healing your inner child you can slow down and bring back some of the joys of childhood into your adult life.