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Taking care of your inner child
Supporting your mental health like it’s your own kid
I like to think of my inner child not as a lesser or regressive being, but instead as a simpler, less inhibited version of myself. She doesn’t overthink, she is unburdened with complexity, and her whole world is a very intimate one. She revels in simple pleasures and while she feels her problems deeply, a little comfort easily calms her down.
C. S. Lewis once said:
“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
Childishness, to my mind, doesn’t necessarily mean things that are superficially associated with children — toys, dinosaur pasta, picture books and colouring in.
What it does mean is connecting with the part of yourself that is uncomplicated and easy-to-please, without judgement. You can apply adult moderation to the desires of your inner child, but that’s optional!
In concrete terms, appeasing your inner child takes three main forms.
Seek joy
Have you ever watched a child play alone with a stick for ages and wondered how they find such amusement in, well, a stick?
