If you’ve ever seen a child playing, you may have noticed how effortless their happiness appeared to be. They have no responsibilities and nothing weighing on them which you can see in their face and through their pure joy. However, with age comes responsibility. Responsibility can lead to stress. When stressed, you oftentimes forget about the inner-child that still exists within you. In society today, we hold adults to such high standards when it comes to how they should act. It is because of this that we subconsciously drown out the child within us instead of allowing him or her to flourish!
Because of personal circumstances, I didn’t get to have a traditional childhood. I had no other option but to grow up and take responsibility for myself at a very young age. Because of all of the hard life experiences I had to endure and survive in my very early years, I was forced to grow up well before my time and had my first job when I was only thirteen. I remember that I couldn’t wait to grow up so that I could escape and be free from the hardships.
Looking back on my life, I am grateful for my past because it has allowed me to become the strong person I am today. Are there parts of my past that didn’t turn out as I’d hoped? Of course, but they were learning experiences nonetheless that have helped shape me to be the person I am now. I am no longer a victim of living in the past and am focused on my future!
In the past few years, I have been advised to get back in touch with and appreciate my inner-child from multiple people of various professions. I was unsure as to how to do that until I read “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron in which she encourages readers to take your inner-child on a “child playdate!” She invites you to take a break from your adult life to do an activity that you enjoyed as a child, whether it be roller blading, rolling in the grass, riding your bike, coloring or even finger painting! Allow yourself to escape and remember what it is like to appreciate that freedom and joy that you probably took for granted as a child.
My biggest struggles when it came to allowing myself to go on a child playdate were ones that I think are fairly common. Firstly, I felt silly. Secondly, there are plenty of things I have on my plate that should seemingly take precedence over something as “silly” as playing in the leaves, such as doing the laundry, going to the gym or anything else for that matter! We almost feel as though we have so many other responsibilities that we don’t even deserve our own time. More than that – our instinct at this age is that these activities are a “waste of time.” I can tell you firsthand that I felt these same anxieties before I gave myself the gift of my first child playdate. After the experience, my life was changed and I immediately began to feel as though the parts of myself that felt incomplete from my lack of childhood were starting to be filled with these new experiences.
I believe that to some extent, our past stays with us and that the children that we once were will always be inside of us. Eventually, we can get what we needed from our childhood by feeding this inner-child with these new experiences. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge your inner-child. You will be amazed at what freedom you will feel from feeding parts of yourself that you may not have realized were hurting for attention. You owe it to yourself!
We worry so much as adults about our responsibilities, careers and futures that we oftentimes forget to stop and smell the roses. I’m not saying you need to set aside two hours every week for a child playdate, but you owe it to yourself to take a thirty-minute break every so often to remind yourself of the simpler things in life. Allow yourself to be free and alone with yourself in a stress-free setting. During one of my recent child playdates, I left my phone at home and went rollerblading. I came across a beautiful park where I took off my blades, laid in the leaves and walked around barefoot, feeling the grass and leaves under my feet. It was something that I hadn’t experienced in as long as I could remember and it left me feeling so in touch with nature and my inner being.
This is not to say that we’ve all had easy childhoods by any means. We’ve all gone through our tough times, some more so than others. If that is the case and you can’t recall anything that you remember bringing you this kind of joy, then think of something that you wish you had had the opportunity to do as a child. Maybe you’ve never been to Disney World. So, go! Maybe you never got to do arts and crafts. Go to a craft store and buy a do-it-yourself project! Just because you may not have had these opportunities as a child does not mean that you have to deprive yourself in your later years. It is also very likely that if you were deprived of these activities as a child you may harbor some resentment for not having had these opportunities without even realizing it! You have the power now to get reacquainted with your inner child so take that opportunity!
By introducing or re-introducing yourself to these activities and the joy that comes with doing them, you will open yourself up to a brand new take on life. Not only will you feel happier because you’re giving yourself a much deserved break from your responsibilities but you are also feeding your life with new experiences or new takes on old experiences! Your inner child will always be a part of you, so pay them some attention. You will be amazed on how it can improve your life and help to heal scars from your past!