Did you know that an individual's childhood experience can influence their choice of partner as an adult?

While for some, the childhood years are seen as a ''carefree'' time, for others, they see it as a vulnerable moment in their lives (especially if they went through trauma, neglect, or other emotional pain during these early years).

We all have our inner child, and whether we like it or not, our early life experiences impact how we act as adults. If you want to improve your well-being and heal trauma, you're in the right place. Continue to read to learn more. 

1. How to Heal Your Inner Child: Try Journaling

Journaling can be an effective coping strategy for many people, especially when going through confusing or challenging experiences and emotional turmoil. 

This self-care practice can help you notice the bad habits in your adult life that you know you must change. Plus, writing down from your inner child's perspective can help you see when those unhelpful patterns began in your childhood, bringing you some clarity. 

Remember that journaling is one of those inner child healing exercises that requires channeling your younger self. You can use a brief visualization exercise or old photos to help you picture the specific age you're hoping to explore. 

Once you feel focused and in the right mindset, write down any emotions or memories you associate with that time of your life. Try to write spontaneously, letting your thoughts flow onto the diary as they come up. Uncensored writing can help you get to the bottom of your inner child's pain. 

2. Go to Therapy to Heal Your Childhood Trauma

Past trauma can affect your daily life. Therapists aim to create a safe space for you to explore the root of your issues and learn how to cope with them in your everyday life. 

While therapists tend to know how childhood experiences can affect your well-being and relationships, not every type of therapy aims to explore past events or similar concepts (like the inner child). 

If your goal is to look into your past and get to know your inner child, something like psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy can be a good option. 

3. Bring Back the Joys of Childhood

Adulthood means facing a lot of responsibilities. Yet, playfulness and relaxation are still essential aspects of good mental health. 

If your childhood lacked fun moments, channeling your playful side and making time for entertaining distractions can be great. It can help you heal the pain of missing out on a carefree experience that every child deserves to have. 

It doesn't take much: things like playing games with loved ones, laughing with friends, or getting ice cream after going for a walk can help you embrace this spontaneity of being a kid. Regardless of what you do, ensure you make time for lightheartedness in your routine so that you can rekindle the positive emotions of youth. 

4. Part of the Healing Process: Writing a Letter

Consider writing a letter to your inner child about your childhood memories. Ensure you write it from your adult perspective, providing explanations or insight for distressing situations you didn't understand back then. 

In the end, a letter to your younger self can give you some sense of comfort and reassurance. Yet, remember that it's a process, so it will take some time before your inner child feels safe and sound. 

5. Connect to Your Inner Child Through Meditation

Meditation teaches you to take note of the feelings in your everyday life. Also, it helps you notice when certain circumstances trigger unhelpful reactions. But most importantly: it encourages you to get comfortable with unwanted emotions. 

Kids often find it tricky to name uncomfortable emotions, particularly when they're not encouraged to express their feelings. But, emotions, negative or positive, are meant to be expressed and experienced. Indeed, repressed emotions tend to show up somewhere down the line, often in unproductive, even harmful ways. 

Meditation allows you to acknowledge and better handle your feelings. When you learn to accept emotions as they come, you find it less challenging to let them out them in healthy ways.

In the end, meditation validates your inner child's feelings as it sends the message that it's fine to have emotions and express them. 

6. Loving and Supportive Affirmations

Loving affirmations can help you believe in your worthiness and support you during your inner child healing process. Indeed, when you repeat affirmations regularly, you rewire your brain. This results in a profound change and significant healing. 

You can say things like ''I want to take care of you'', ''I will protect you against harm'' and ''I'm so glad you're here'' during your day or while meditating. Also, feel free to create your own supportive affirmation!

7. Close Your Eyes and Travel Back in Time

Maybe you don't miss being a child. But, if you have any special childhood memories, it can be worth closing your eyes and traveling back to this time of your life. 

Think about things that brought you joy at that early stage of your life. Maybe you enjoyed eating delicious foods, dancing, coloring, or playing with your siblings. Anything that made you feel happy while growing up!

8. Nurture Your Creativity 

Stimulating your creativity can help you focus and embrace your inner child. So, consider trying drawing, gardening, cooking, painting, or playing an instrument. Whatever works for you!

Remember that part of your inner child work is about recovering your play muscle. So, take time to restore the side of you that doesn't care about failing, that just wants to feel free. 

9. Build a New Set of Caregivers

Now it's time to be compassionate and practice self-care. When you notice your inner wounded child feeling upset, act the way you wish someone would have when you were a kid. It will help you heal. 

10. Engage in Creative Play With Children

If you struggle to remember good childhood moments, you can try engaging in creative play with children. Maybe, it will help you rekindle your memories and make you enjoy simple things (like watching cartoons or reading comic books).

In the end, making time to play with your kids helps boost your sense of playfulness and helps them improve their well-being. If you don't have children, why not offer to babysit your relatives' kids? It's a bonding opportunity. 

Healing Your Inner Child

Healing your inner child is a process. It's not only about helping you recover from painful experiences. But understanding your adulthood better and learning how to act with self-compassion. It might be challenging at first, but you've got this! 

Do you want to live a life beyond what you could have imagined? Contact us now to learn more about our services and how we can help you.