8 tips to heal your inner child

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Everyone has an inner child inside. You can see this inner child as a direct representation of yourself during your early years, pieces of the puzzle of developmental stages you've gone through, or a symbol of your dreams and accomplishments. the joy of youth.

An expert psychologist explains that being aware of your inner child can help you think about your earlier light and carefree years. Reliving the joys of childhood can be a great way to face a challenging time in the present.
But the reality is that not everyone has a happy and interesting childhood. If you have been abandoned, traumatized, or emotionally hurt, your inner child is vulnerable and needs protection. You may have buried this pain deep to hide your past and protect yourself.
However, hiding the pain cannot help heal the inner child. Instead, this child will often appear suddenly in your life as an adult, manifesting in your distress between personal relationships or difficulty meeting your own needs. Here are 8 tips to heal your inner self, thereby solving some of the psychological problems you are facing.

1. Acknowledgment of your inner child

This is the first step of the healing process. Anyone can get in touch with their inner child if they are open to discovery. Conversely, if you feel doubtful or don't want to look back, you'll have a hard time starting the healing process.
If it feels a little strange or awkward, try thinking of the inner child as a process of self-discovery. Let's put this new concept aside for a while and just think about a few memorable childhood experiences. It could be positive things, or people who have hurt or upset you. Perhaps now that you are an adult, you still carry the pain of those events.
The process of acknowledging your inner child is mostly about finding and accepting the things that hurt you in your childhood. Bringing these hurts to light can help you understand their impact on you. Many people find it soothing to talk to their inner child like a real person, so don't be afraid to give it a try.

2. Listen to your inner child

After opening the door to connect with the child inside, it is important that you listen to your heart. These feelings often arise in situations that create strong emotions, discomfort, or old wounds. You may notice:
Anger at not having a need met Rejected or denied Insecurity Vulnerability Guilt or shame Concern. If these feelings arise when you recall specific events in your childhood, you may find that similar situations in adult life also trigger similar responses.
Example: Your spouse/lover is suddenly busy with work and doesn't have time for the date you two have planned. Even though you know they want to spend time with you, you still feel rejected and let down. Frustration manifests in the act of walking into the room and slamming the door, like a child.
Relying on the inner child, you will have more insight in this situation. You realize your partner's unscheduled work makes you feel like your parents used to cancel outing plans, even your birthday party, because of their busy schedules.
By listening to your inner child's feelings and letting yourself experience it, you'll be able to identify the pain you've been through - a necessary first step if you want to work through it.

3. Write a letter

To begin the healing process of the inner child, psychologists recommend writing a letter to this child. You can write about childhood memories from an adult perspective, with insightful explanations for traumatic situations that you didn't understand as a child.
For example, when you were a kid you didn't understand why your brother always yelled at you and smashed your toys, making you always afraid of him. Now that you realize that he's been through years of bullying and abuse, there's reason to be angry with you. Sharing this with the inner child can help ease lingering pain.
A letter also gives you the opportunity to give messages of reassurance and comfort. Suggested questions to continue the dialogue with your inner child include:
"How do you feel?"
"How can I help you?"
"What do you want from me?"
Sitting quietly and thinking critically about these questions can help you find the answers for yourself, although it may take some time.

4. Try meditation

Meditation is a great way to open yourself up to answers. Meditation has many benefits for physical and mental health, especially directly related to the functioning of your inner child.
First, meditation enhances self-awareness, teaching you to pay more attention to the sensations that arise in everyday life. Being deeply mindful of your feelings makes it easier to see that there is no need to react unhelpfully in particular situations.
Meditation also makes you more comfortable with unwanted emotions. Children are often unable to express upset feelings clearly, especially in an educational environment that discourages self-expression. Children may suppress or bury these feelings to avoid punishment or praise from adults.
Emotions - whether positive or negative, need to be experienced and expressed. Suppressing inner emotions is often futile, even harmful. Meditation helps you practice acknowledging any emotions that come up in your life. Over time, as you get used to it, you'll find it easier to express your emotions in a healthy way. At the same time, the inner child also knows that emotions need to be expressed.
You can also try meditation by sending loving feelings to your inner child. Visualize their appearance and visit them as an adult.

5. Replace your inner child in journaling

Many people find journaling a great way to deal with challenging or confusing and emotional turmoil. If you keep a journal, you can get a lot of benefits in the healing process of your inner child.
Just as regular journaling helps you realize what you want in adult life, journaling from an inner child's point of view can help you realize some of the bad things that start in childhood young.
For this advice, put your current self aside and transform into the inner child. Try looking at some old photos or visualizing yourself to recall how you felt at a particular age.
After putting yourself in your childhood, write down a few memories and feelings from the events that come to mind. Try not to think too hard about what you're writing, but let the words flow naturally onto the paper. Expressing emotions without letting your reason control you can help you tap into your inner child's pain.

6. Rediscover the joys of childhood

Maturity comes with many responsibilities, but relaxation and fun are good for mental health. If your childhood was not filled with pleasurable experiences, reconnect with lovely friends and spend time playing to help heal your childhood pain.
It's important to enjoy small pleasures, such as eating ice cream after a walk, playing some silly games with your partner or kids, and making laughs with friends. Taking time to be happy and refreshed in life can help rekindle the positive emotions of youth.

7. Openness

The healing process of the inner child does not always lead to obvious results. This is usually an open-ended journey.
You started this process by reaching out to your inner child. You can now cultivate new awareness and continue to listen to this child's guidance moving forward.
Your inner child can reveal more about past hardships, but at the same time you learn to be more joyful and reconsider what life has to offer.
Getting in tune with your inner child can lead to a sense of self-fulfillment, increased confidence and motivation. Continue to listen, show love, and work to heal any open wounds.

8. Find a Psychotherapist

Past hurts can cause a lot of suffering. Therapists will create a safe space for you to begin navigating your emotional turmoil and learning how to heal your inner child.
Psychologists can recognize how childhood experiences and other past events have affected your life, relationships and health.
However, not all therapies favor the discovery of past events. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy often focuses on your experiences in the present. This is also a highly effective treatment. If you want to explore your past and get to know your inner child, find an expert with experience in this area.
When needs for affection, recognition, praise and other forms of support are not met in childhood, the trauma can linger throughout your adult life. It's never too late to heal your inner child. By nurturing your inner child, you can find unmet needs, express emotions in healthy ways, and increase self-love.
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Reference source: healthline.com