Most people would define “self-love” as sensual pleasures, such as a day at the spa or a tropical vacations. Other ways to love yourself that are certainly excellent ones are to reward yourself with gifts or with treats. But it’s important to realize that these temporary pleasures can help maintain a level of self-love only at the surface.
So how can you go deeper? Where is a source of genuine, abiding self-love? The answer lies within you. Attending to your inner child can be the most direct and the most rewarding way for you to live a life of true self-love.
Tending your inner child reaches the pure joy and intuition that is the very essence of you as a person. It’s vitally important for your inner child to feel loved. It’s a being that lives within you all the time, every day. Spending your money, energy, and time exclusively on adult things or other relationships can make your inner child feel neglected and not worthy of receiving love.
All the sensual pleasures the world has to offer won’t make it up to an inner child that’s too hurt to receive. At first it may seem on the silly side but wait–the results will soon grace each and every area of your life. And it’s easy to attain. The results will last and will change all of your relationships and their outcomes.
All it takes is just a few simple steps:
Visualize a place that’s sacred to you. A sacred space can be the woods, a meadow, a country cottage, or the beach. What makes a space sacred is that it’s a safe and comfortable place for you. It serves as a portal through which you can communicate to the souls of other people through your own soul.
This is because in your sacred space, you are able to trust on multiple levels. You trust yourself, you trust your guides, and you trust the journey you’re building. You’ll know you’re in your sacred place when you feel internal peace external humble empowerment. Visualizing this space is important, because it will allow you to safely trust both yourself and your energy.
Visualize the child within you. Try to visualize the child at about 5 years old. If the child appears injured, make certain to be gentle. In a trusting way, befriend the child. When the child appears to be open and comfortable, ask if you can have a hug, and then start to play together.
Your 5-year-old self is the magic of who you genuinely are, before the world began to teach you different and to change you. Therefore, this 5-year-old version of you has intuition that’s unbridled. We all have multiple inner children, representing different ages. All of them make up the unique wholeness that is you. But the 5-year-old is special because of that unbridled intuition, which makes that child honest. It’s important to interact with this child because it serves as a reminder that you’re not alone. The child is someone you can love safely and unconditionally. You provide the child with care and a safe place to exist, which empowers the child to act creatively and to feel accepted.
Take on a fatherly or motherly role. Show your inner child that you wish to act as its parent. Make them a deal that they can come to live with you. A deals may involve candy, a trip to a park, or watching an animated movie. Fulfilling a parental role will serve several truths that are fundamental.
First, fulfilling this role will serve as an acknowledgment that the child is part of you. It will also simplify the logistics if you act as a caregiver, instead of leaving the child with a feeling of abandonment. This relationship will allow you to interact on a deeper level, whether dancing together, swinging at a park, painting with watercolors on a rainy day, or howling at the moon!
It’s vitally important for you to have a 5-year-old self that is integrated into your being, as it will ensure that you’re whole and happy. And having a protector, friend and caregiver guarantees that the child’s brilliance will be safe to shine!
Be a safe place for the child. Life is more enjoyable when it’s full of laughter. So, enjoy giving love to your inner child, and receiving it in return. Knowing we’re loved is empowering. And when a zest for life is combined with talents, two can accomplish more than one can!
It can be difficult give and receive love with another. But it’s so easy to love a 5-year-old! And letting that 5-year-old love us in return feels warm, fuzzy, and safe. It allows for the ultimate integration of all of your feelings and will give you a sense of family and comfort.
When you learn to love your inner child, you will certainly change your life in lasting and profound ways. Be love by loving yourself first, out from the inside.
This idea of ‘tending to your inner child’ strikes me as naive and overly simplistic. Adults have real problems that can’t be solved by imagining themselves as children. Seriously, this is the best advice you can offer?
While many may dismiss this as whimsical, the truth is that acknowledging and nurturing our inner child can unlock a purity of joy and creativity that’s often lost in adulthood. It’s a worthwhile endeavor.
Are we really supposed to believe playing make-believe with our imaginary 5-year-old selves will solve all our problems? What a load of new-age nonsense!
So, let me get this straight. I need to negotiate with my inner child using candy and cartoons? Next, should I start leaving cookies for the tooth fairy too?
The concept of reconnecting with one’s inner child is profoundly therapeutic and has roots in various psychological theories. It truly resonates with the notion of holistic self-care.
Absolutely! Inner child work is fundamental in therapies like Inner Child Integration and other holistic practices. It’s more than just imagining; it’s about healing past traumas.