It doesn’t matter that you are no longer a child but a grown-up now.
There lies an inner child within each and every one of us—the inner child who represents your younger self, who carries your childhood memories, emotions and experiences.
While some memories can be positive and rewarding, some can be painful, sad and traumatic.
These harmful and painful memories manifest in your daily behavioural patterns, the quality of your relationships, and your outlook on life and influence your self-esteem and general well-being.
Healing your inner child is a necessary process that can help you address the past traumas and emotions that may be holding you back in the present moment and coming in the way of achieving your life’s purpose.
Healing your inner child takes time, courage and commitment, which is the key to a more content and fulfilled life.
As a Life Coach and NLP therapist, and practitioner, below are some of the steps that I used in Healing my inner child and which I use to help my clients:
Observe and Identify your emotional triggers and patterns:
These triggers are events or situations that remind you of a painful or traumatic experience in the past. Pay attention to what put you off or triggered you and ask yourself, what is it about this situation making you feel this way? Is it a particular smell, a sound, certain types of people, or a specific behaviour?
Acknowledge and validate your emotions:
Always be mindful that your emotions have the right to be with you at a specific moment, and they assist in resolving the blockage or obstacle preventing you from moving forward or being aligned with your older self.
Reconnect with your inner child:
Reach out to this part of you from the past that has been wounded and hurt. Imagine a child standing right next to you, hurt and crying. Won’t you reach out and make them feel better? Would you listen to them to understand what’s hurting them? What would you say to this child? What would you tell them to make them feel better? Do the same to your inner child; they are the closest to you and need you. Allow yourself to remember what activities you enjoyed doing in the past, what you were good at, how you stood up to yourself and what made you famous. Revisit these happy memories, and allow them to empower you and validate your self-worth as an adult today.
Give reassurance to your inner child:
Reassure your inner child that they are safe now because you are not a child anymore. You are capable of protecting yourself, and you deserve to be happy. Tell your inner child that there is nothing or no one to be afraid of anymore, and thank them for standing up to their past pain and experiences in order to allow you to be who you are today in the best version of yourself as a hero and not a victim.
Practice self-compassion:
Be kind to yourself by offering kindness and understanding, especially during difficult times. Offer your self-compassion by speaking to yourself in a positive and supportive way and taking care of your emotional and physical well-being.
Healing your inner child can be challenging, and depending on the individual situation, sometimes seeking professional help is necessary.
Also, remember that the process takes time and effort. Be patient with yourself, and celebrate your wins with every step you take.
By identifying your triggers, acknowledging your emotions, reconnecting and embracing your inner child, practising self-compassion and seeking professional help, you can begin to heal from past traumas and live a more fulfilling life.
Just because you deserve it!