Why embracing your inner child can boost wellbeing
Join the kids’ club for a dose of instant happiness
Text: Livvie B
We all have endless emotions and personality traits. But it you find that certain feelings such as sadness, grumpiness and anxiety keep reoccurring and you can’t quite pinpoint why, it might be time to activate your ‘inner child’.
Ahhhh, the psychological language of therapists! Thanks to a growing interest in our own behaviours, and fresh conversations regarding mental health issues, our psychological and emotional wellbeing has become part of our weekly brunch narrative. In a cab home following a recent mimosa-fuelled Sunday afternoon discussing our ‘inner child’, I realised that, despite having discussed the topic of our ‘inner child’ at length, I really had no idea what it actually was.
After doing some digging, I confirmed that the phrase 'inner child’ refers to a hidden part of our personality, characterised by playfulness, spontaneity and creativity. Often, this is also accompanied by anger and fear attributed to childhood experiences.
Psychologist Carl Jung is thought to have coined the term ‘inner child’, referring to an unconscious subpersonality that we all have as adults, that is influenced by personal experiences we had in our early years. Jung believed that conscious ‘reparenting’ of our own ‘inner child’ can relieve trauma and pain. In other words, get out there and relive positive childhood emotions to boost your wellbeing today.
Thich Nhat Hanh, founder of the Engaged Buddhist movement believes it’s our life’s work to notice and listen to our inner child in order to transform sadness and anger. We can do this by embracing innocent, spontaneous activities often associated with kids that are free from our created versions of self.
Here are four simple habits and activities that tap into your ‘inner child’ that you can enjoy in adulthood for the sake of your health and happiness.
1. Be Fearless. Children are often described as ‘innocent’. Free from experiences that have caused them to question themselves, they are generally more open and eager to try new things, meet new people and say whatever comes into their head … embracing this mentality allows us to dream big and imagine limitless possibilities.
2. Craft Often. It’s likely been several years since you picked up a glue gun or sprinkled glitter over a painting and indulged in other creative activities for kids, but research shows that 69% of people aged 25-34 agreed that being creative boosted their mood. Focusing on one task allows our mind to clear itself of cluttered thoughts, invoking calmness and encouraging the art of happiness. Adult colouring in books are a great place to start.
3. Play Outdoors. As a child, I would spend hours outside — a skipping rope, netball or scooter could keep me entertained for hours. However, as I got older, studying and eventually work took over my schedule. I began spending more time indoors, huddled over a book or laptop. However, there are a multitude of proven benefits of spending time outdoors, including increased energy and alleviating stress.
4. Cry Freely. You reach a certain age when it becomes unacceptable to have a tantrum in the middle of your supermarket shop (I’m looking at you 35-year old ex-boyfriend). However, crying can benefit your mind and body as it helps us to self-soothe and restore balance. So, go on — have a a good sob and let it all out.
This article was independently written by The Soothe. For more information, please refer to our disclaimer.
