Why connect with your inner child?

We all know that healing does not follow a linear progression. As I dive deeper into reconstructive surgery of my beliefs and self-perceptions, I find that more repressed issues from the past have shown up and shown out to get my attention.

By connecting with our inner child, we gain access to new information about our unhealed wounds and the needs that may not have been met when we were actually children.

-Rising Woman

One Sunday morning at worship with my family, I found an old picture of myself that my mom has kept from the age of six. My eyes looked so happy and innocent, and it brought me to tears.

These were not tears of joy, these were tears of sorrow that came up from the depths of my being for not knowing how to protect my happiness and my heart throughout the years. A common issue in my life that trips me up is beating myself up for not knowing the best way to respond in situations, and I still feel this guilt in my spirit when I look back at old pictures from different stages of my life.

3 Journal Prompts to Enlighten the Inner Child Within

What did I take personally that I can let go of today?

When we are younger, it is easy to internalize situations that we do not yet have the understanding to fully grasp. Additionally, as children, we have not yet figured out what healthy tools we will utilize when choosing how we want to respond to situations. This can leave a child’s spirit restless as they look for an outlet to self-soothe the feeling of frustration. When we feel we are the reason for our negative experiences, the experiences continue to compound as we look for the validation of the sentiment. What pressure can we unload from our experience by stepping out of harm’s way by not just shifting blame, but realizing that we do not have to atone for those feelings of frustration; Our only responsibility is choosing a manner of responding. It is not a guarantee that everyone in our lives will do right by us, but we can decide how each situation will inform our present and future. 

What perspectives have I learned along my journey that fuel the future?

Sometimes life offers us an experience that contrasts what we believe, so we can gain further insight into a particular aspect of life. If you believe in past lives, it has been said that some lessons take several lifetimes before we unlock what is needed to progress our evolution. That is why I can rest, knowing that there is a perfect and purposeful reason for me to experience whatever is required in order to gain perspective for greater understanding. What have you collected along the way that has offered you more insight into your childhood's unaddressed issues? How can you implement those perspectives when they are needed? Journaling your thoughts around this topic will help you create new mantras to implement in your life that embraces those unique perspectives. 

What underdeveloped talents of my childhood can I begin to cultivate?

I find one of the more challenging aspects of life is remaining as unrestrictedly imaginative as I was a child. Life demands a type of realism that can quickly turn into pessimism if you take a look at the news or read up on current events. When I look into my eyes as a young girl, I also see unbridled enthusiasm and creative expression ready to jump out and onto the scene. Through negative experiences, I unconsciously learned to cut that side of myself out for fear that it will not be received as I intended. I’ve realized that the “reparenting” aspect of inner child healing requires me to listen and attend to the parts of being that make me feel as free as I was a child. Therefore, instead of repressing this side of myself to the back burner of my being, I am actively reparenting my confidence levels to go at things alone- no validation or cosigning needed for the “extraness” that is me. 

Does Inner Child Healing Lead to an Integrated Adult?

All of this reflection has made me ask the question,

Have I grown out of my temper tantrums as a child or have they transmuted themselves into another form of expression?

This form of expression, for me, is self-loathing that is rooted in anger and frustration; Frustration that I am not allowing myself to be 100% percent me.

After spending time looking into the eyes of my younger self and feeling the emotions I was too young to understand, I now recognize that she remains with me but she has the tools to mature.

Consider the ways your younger self may be trying to get your attention. It may not be as abrupt as my experience, but the subtle triggers of prolonged unaddressed pain become louder and louder until it is time to listen to their call.