How to Heal the Inner Child
Even as adults, we have an inner child aspect of ourselves that lives on.
Image by Food Photographer Jennifer Pallian @foodess on Unsplash
Our inner child is always a part of our psyche, and if our inner child is wounded, or we've never consciously connected with them, they can act out in our actions.
If we get too serious or focus only on our work, we disconnect from the inner child. Our inner child wants our love and the parenting we may have never received as a child. In that sense, it doesn't matter if our parenting wasn't the best that we needed emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Inner child healing is part of our money mindset, our self worth, and our emotional regulation. I've worked on inner child healing recently, especially when I was recently sick.
I came down with a stomach bug and felt so weak that I could barely get out of bed for a week. I had to be very gentle with myself I realized. Making sure to stay warm with blankets, sipping on hot liquids all day, taking elderberry syrup, and making sure to use diffuse immune-boosting essential oils like oregano, lemon, and clove.
That next week, it turned out that I started working on inner child healing again with my own coach. The timing was so aligned! We can reparent ourselves, by connecting with our inner child and letting them know that we are there for them now. Showing them love allows us to treat ourselves tenderly.
Here are the best ways to connect with your inner child.
Meditation visualization:
I love using the Insight Timer meditation app and have experienced powerful connections with my inner child using their meditations. Just search 'Inner Child' on the app. Typically, you'll visualize your favorite place in nature and you'll meet the spirit of your inner child there. I know it sounds out there, and it took me a while to wrap my head around it too. Once I had such a powerful experience (after trying a few times) I became a believer. I know now that my inner child does live inside me as its own entity, and it connecting with her allows me to mature as an adult.
Look at old photos of yourself as a child:
Find photos of yourself as a child, and meditate on them. I find this to be one of the most effective ways to connect with the inner child because we can connect with the energy we held at that point in time. Connect with yourself at different stages with photos: as an infant, a toddler, and even a young adult. Part of you from each of these life stages lives on in you. Looking at these photos can remind you of who you were at that point from a conscious perspective.
Automatic writing:
After you've meditated, get out a pencil and paper, your favorite journal, and ask our inner child what they have to say to you. Put the pencil to paper and start writing. See what words come out. It may take a few tries, just like automatic writing which is done to channel from your higher self. I've been able to have conversations with my younger self this way and I can respond with my adult self right on the paper.
Essential oils:
Important Disclaimer: I can only recommend drinking doTERRA essential oils as they have been vetted for internal use based on their testing quality standards. Learn more about their testing standards here.
High quality essential oils work with our subconscious, through our sense of smell which affects our limbic system: the seat of emotions.
When I was sick recently, I intuitively reached for the doTERRA Kid's collection. I don't work with the Kid's collection frequently, but this experience made me realize that it was my inner child that wanted support this way. The kid's collection is a gentler and softer version of blends that are safe for kids to use.
While sick, I reached for the TummyTamer blend, Stronger immune protecting blend, and the Brave courage blend. Now as I'm feeling better, I'm using the Thinker Focus blend while I work and the Steady Grounding blend when I experience anxious feelings.
They come in a cute carrying case with tactile carabiners which I love, and they also have a set of flashcards with tactile surfaces so kids of all ages can tell which one they're using and what it's for. I love that this is teaching kids how to regulate their emotions and physical health at a developing age. I wish I had this! Now I use this for my inner child and so can you - as well as your kids.
Ylang Ylang is also the oil of the inner child, so if you have this oil on hand, make sure to diffuse it while you complete the above practices to connect with your inner child.
These are easy ways to reconnect with your inner child, make sure to do them on a regular basis to balance your whole being.
