When you’re a kid, you wish to be an adult. When you’re an adult, you wish to be a kid. What is with this?
I wish that I could tell my younger self to enjoy the easy times. I wish I could tell my younger self to enjoy being a benchwarmer on my sports team – all the perks of being on the team, minus all the work. I wish I could tell my younger self to enjoy the trials and tribulations of making scrapbooks and building cardboard chairs for “big assignments” – I would choose that over theory papers any day. I wish I could tell my younger self that learning how to ride a bike would be a piece of cake compared to driving a car – kids on bikes do not have to worry about pedestrians and speed limits. I wish that I could tell my younger self that staying up late would go from being a privilege to a hassle – early nights are the best nights. There are so many things that we take for granted as children and so many things that seem impossible. If only kids knew how good they had it… Being young is inherently easier than being old.
Nowadays, we are encouraged to channel that younger version of ourselves. Social media has introduced us to this idea of reconnecting with our childhood selves. This involves many things, such as taking part in childlike activities, falling back on old hobbies, doing things to induce nostalgia, etc. Reconnecting with our childhood selves is a topic that’s deeply connected to self-reflection and self-growth. It’s one that I am extremely fascinated with and equally geared towards.
You may be asking, “How can I possibly reconnect with the child I once was?” It’s easy enough.
Here’s some starting points:
- Slow down – Forget about your adult responsibilities for a moment
- Try doing the opposite and get moving!
- Get your creative juices flowing – try doing something artistic (i.e. painting)
- Reconnect with hobbies you once loved (i.e. sports)
- Find new hobbies that bring you joy
- Do things that you currently consider to be fun – the key here is having fun
- Get a dose of nature – there’s nothing like a gust of fresh air to get you going
- Surround yourself with people that make you feel like a child, that make you forget about the stressors of life, that bring you joy and evoke that genuine laughter that resides in the belly
Personally, I love to reconnect with my inner child through fashion and hobbies that I loved back then. For example, I’ve always loved bright, colourful, stylish clothing and matching jewelry so I incorporate that into my everyday wardrobe. I also revert back to my childhood hobby of reading when the stresses of an adulting get to be too much and I need a lil’ comfort. That, or I love to re-watch movies that excited me as a child. The Twilight and Hunger Games series will always hit home for me. I am also always on the hunt for new hobbies! Exercise has been a new one that I am loving. Occasionally, I’ll take up painting or crocheting and I’ll feel like a kid again. I encourage you, reader, to forget about the headaches that come with adulting for as much time as you can spare and find things, activities or people that make you feel child-like (in a good way).
Truthfully, you can do anything that brings you joy and takes a load off your shoulders. The idea is that you act like a carefree child and enjoy the present moment. Children are much more mindful than adults tend to be.
Another interesting topic to think about in relation to connecting with our inner childs: Who are you now? What were you like as a kid? Are they two different people? Would they get along?
It would be so beyond fascinating if our adult selves could go back in time and meet our childhood selves. I would pay good money to know what those interactions would be like. I would hope that my young self would love who I am now. I am no longer afraid to speak up in class. I’m still my emotional, sensitive self but I have more of a backbone now. I wear my hair down and embrace its natural state – no longer insecure of its frizz. I wear bright bold colours and match my jewelry to every outfit – much like my toddler self. I’ll also wear bows in my hair and red lipstick on random days because it makes me happy. I make the time to read fun books, despite life being far busier as an adult. I write articles for Her Campus – in a way mirroring the ones I would write in my diary as a child. I now have a small but phenomenal circle of loved ones, contrasting my constant search and struggle for friendships as a kid. I have been through hard times that I would have dreaded as a child – but I’m better for it. In so many ways, I am the same kid. In so many ways, I am older and wiser.
It’s intriguing to see how the two can coexist: kid-me and adult-me. How do your child-self and adult-self coexist? Is there harmony? Is there a lack thereof?
The world we live in is so fast-paced and intense that there’s barely any time to sit back and breathe. It’s fair to say that the childhoods we experienced in the past are far different from the childhood kids are experiencing now. With the rise of technology and the different ways of the world, we see kids growing up way too fast. I urge you, reader, to do what you can to reawaken that little kid within you. Granting ourselves moments of childish fun can relieve stress, help us to be more present and create more memorable moments.