When we think of our fondest memories, most of us are taken back to the blissful and carefree days of our childhood, a time when we were free from the daily responsibilities and societal expectations of our adult lives. From major events like your first day at school to more minor occurrences like losing your first tooth, our childhood experiences lay the foundations of our identity and personality. As we transition into adulthood, these experiences turn into learnings and memories, some of which stick with us till the end while others fade away. These learnings become associated with the important values of resilience, honesty and courage. We are often reminded of these as adults when we observe children engage in playful activities demonstrating courage and resilience in their acts.
Although, the memory of what it truly feels like to be a child might have faded away. We must not forget that that child still exists within us. Originally proposed by Psychologist Carl Jung, the notion of the inner child that dwells within us has now become a commonly accepted idea. Obviously, this does not allude to a literal child within us, but rather a child-like capacity for innocence, wonder, awe, joy, sensitivity, resilience, courage and playfulness. As adults we become unaware of this inner child and sever our connection with this identity in an attempt to become ‘responsible adults’ and to conform to societies norms. From a psychological perspective, this lack of awareness regarding our inner child gives rise to a number of behavioural and emotional difficulties as pointed out by Stephen A. Diamond in his article; Essential Secrets of Psychotherapy : The Inner Child. Although this does not mean that we should completely ignore the responsibilities of adulthood and remain in a child-like state (aka the Peter Pan Syndrome), but rather, we need to make an active attempt to maintain the vital link with our inner child and respond to its needs and desires.
For many of us, the pandemic has provided the perfect opportunity to rediscover the child within us. Whether it be by playing board games with our family and friends, or by re-watching our favorite childhood TV-shows. For those of us who are still struggling with this, let’s make an active attempt to rediscover our inner child this children’s day. Rather than denying and repressing our inner child, real adulthood is characterized by acknowledging and accepting the duty of caring and responding to our inner child.
Here’s a few ways to revive your inner child:
· PLAY BOARD GAMES – When we were finally invited to play board games with your family, it made us feel incredibly grownup, and this feeling was only topped by winning against the elders. For us, few things can compare to the joy of playing Snakes and Ladders, Ludo or Monopoly! Let’s try to replace the usual movie night with board game night with the family. Playing board games is not only a great way of relieving stress and bonding with family and friends, but also great for instilling values like resilience and patience.
· WATCH CARTOONS – Cartoons were always an integral part of our childhood and, as Children we were lucky to have discovered some wonderful classics like Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse and Scooby Doo. A wave of nostalgia is sure to hit when you watch these cartoons again. Perhapsorganize a party with your friends and run a cartoon marathon all night long, manifesting the courage that jerry demonstrated.
· READ A COMIC BOOK –As a child, getting to read comics on your weekends or after homework was like a reward, and it was extremely cherished. Pick up your favorite comic strip, it is a great way to relieve stress and to take out time for yourself.
· MAKE A CREATIVE ART - As children, papers, scissors and glue were often our playmates. We snipped and stuck to create a variety of hand-made products that we proudly flaunted. For us, creased paper became Chinese fans and manipulated shapes made memorable greeting cards. Revive those moments by making something on your own. Such hands on activities are stimulate brain function and enhancce psychomotor skills and also have a pronounced calming effect.
In recent years, psychological research has highlighted the importance of being in touch with one’s inner child as pointed out in the paper; Health throughout the lifespan: The phenomenon of the inner child reflected in events during childhood experienced by older persons. Apart from being an important source of the various positive attributes mentioned earlier, a person may hold on to childhood traumas, fears and anger, if not addressed through a safe and inducive environment. Just as a neglected child can develop various mental and physical health issues, a neglected inner child can be extremely detrimental to our mental and emotional health. Thus, it is important to nurture the childlike qualities that aid a person to be resilient and demonstrate courage to become holistic individual.
Below is a small activity that may aid you to reconnect with your inner child. Let us revive our childhood memories through this simple activity
Make a Heart Around the things you have done in your childhood:
We hope this activity brought a smile to your face and revived all your childhood memories!
We hope this gave you some ideas and inspired you to reconnect with your inner child, and in that process, you find joy and peace. Our mission here at Heart to Art By Vriti Bajaj is embodied by the quote “I believe in magic, it's present in a child's eyes!” So, Lets rediscover that magic within ourselves this children’s day and rebirth our capacity for wonder, courage, resilience, sensitivity, playfulness and create joy. -
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We hope this aided you towards taking the 1st step to rediscover your inner child!
Unlock your magic with Heart to Art by Vriti Bajaj, register for our workshop UNCOVER POSITIVITY- IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS ON 21ST NOVEMBER 2020 to discover how to keep this child alive!
This blog has been Conceptualised by Anshika Mathur & Parth Bhatnagar our youth bloggers and Vriti Bajaj.
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