Heal Your Inner Child With These 10 Soothing Ways

We all have that little vulnerable voice inside of us that sounds suspiciously like our childhood self. This inner child of ours can be a representation of your literal child self or it could be a symbol of the playfulness you still somehow retain. Our inner child is an aspect of our being that carries not only the memories from our childhood but also emotions and experiences,

However, if you’ve had your early years filled with childhood neglect, unmet needs, or emotional wounds left untreated, then all this trauma can cause your inner child to carry wounds well into your adulthood.

Healing the inner child in us is a powerful tool of self-discovery and self-compassion and today, we’re learning some of the ways you can self-soothe your inner child, unlock what’s been locked, and release the hurt that’s preventing your growth and well-being.

Here are some of the best ways you can heal your inner child;

How to Heal Your Inner Child?

1.Say “Hi” to Your Inner Child

The first thing you need to do to heal your inner child is to acknowledge their existence. Look within and say “Hi” to your inner child. You can do it by reflecting on your childhood events that have left a profound impact on you. Validate the emotions that come along with your memories.

Allow yourself to believe that this inner child is not a personality but a part of your subconscious. This inner child has experienced the same childhood and remembers the same emotions and moments.

2.Now, Hug Them

Even if your current mind can’t talk as openly as your childlike mind could, it doesn’t mean that you can’t comfort your inner child. You can take a step towards healing by hugging your inner child. Now, you may wonder, “How’s that possible?” Well, it’s simple. Hold yourself as tight as you can and let the emotions flow. If you feel like crying, do it.

You can also try the butterfly hug to comfort your inner child. All you have to do is cross your hands over your chest to form a butterfly with your hands (hook the thumbs together), keep your hands pressed to your chest, tap your chest with alternate hands (tap first with your left hand and then repeat with your right hand), and take slow deep breaths. Allow your thoughts and emotions to flow freely.

3.Revisit Happy Memories

To feel comfortable, you can revisit your happy memories. Taking a trip down memory lane can help you calm down when you begin to feel overwhelmed. Close your eyes and think about the happiest memory you can think of; Was it visiting the zoo for the first time? Enjoying your first car ride? Or something else?

Notice the feelings, sounds, emotions, smells, sights, and everything else you can sense with your memory. Take your inner child to revisit these happy memories to feel calm and happy.

4.Give “Mirror Work” a Try

Mirror work is another technique of inner child work that allows you to develop a positive self-relationship. Too many negative thoughts such as, “I am not good enough” are formed when you’re going through the traumatic experience of your childhood. To move on, you can try to look into a mirror every day and repeat positive statements such as;

• “I am good enough”
• “I matter”
• “I will speak up”

5.Cultivate Self-Compassion

Self-compassion means giving yourself the same compassion and kindness that you offer others. Developing self-compassion can nurture your inner child and heal them. You can start small by practicing positive self-talk, practicing self-care, and being kind to yourself as you would to a hurting child.

It might not always be easy to offer your inner child compassion and kindness, but this practice will help you improve your self-relationship and reduce anxiety, trauma, stress, and depression.

6.Write a Letter to Your Inner Child

While journaling has many benefits for our mental health, it can also help heal our inner child. Although, here you can try writing a letter to your inner child instead of journaling your thoughts. Take a pen and a piece of paper and pour out the words that you wish you could’ve heard when you were a child and experiencing trauma.

Use compassionate language and be kind. To make it feel more authentic, you can use your non-dominant hand to write the letter. Let your inner child express how they want to. You can also communicate with your inner child by writing with your dominant hand while “conversing”.

7.Listen to Your Triggers

It’s time you pay attention to your triggers. What makes you feel angry? Hurtful? Or upset? Can these triggers be related to your painful childhood experiences? Can your current fears and insecurities be related to your traumatic childhood experiences?

When you know your triggers or where the emotional pain comes from, it can become easier for you to reassure your inner child that they are now safe and loved.

8.Spend Time With Your Inner Child

The best way you can comfort and heal your inner child is by spending time with them by doing what you loved to do as a child yourself. If coloring is your jam? Then go and buy a coloring book! If playing with clay is more your thing, then make something out of clay.

The idea here is to express your inner child by getting creative as a child could. No rule says that only a child can have playtime after all!

9.Try Child Meditation or Visualization

There’s another practice you can engage in to soothe your inner child. Child meditation is a technique you can practice that will allow you to create a safe space within your mind where your inner child can come freely and express themselves.

You can also practice visualizing. All you need to do is offer love, protection, and healing to your inner child through visualization.

10.Stay in Touch

Healing your inner child is a process that might be a never-ending journey. Now that you’ve begun inner child healing, you need to keep going. Continue to stay in touch with your inner child. There could be a lot you haven’t uncovered yet and a lot you have yet to learn from your inner child self.

So, stay in touch with them. This practice will also help you boost your confidence and motivation when you need it. Continue listening to your inner child, affirm them, offer compassion, and heal them, one step at a time.

What Next?

Childhood trauma and past wounds can be a source of great distress. If you’re struggling to reconcile with your inner child and heal them, then it’s recommended that you speak to a therapist. A professional can offer you a safe space and helpful techniques to start healing your inner child and bring them closer to happiness.

Therapy approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be a good approach to start healing your emotional wounds. Talk to a professional before starting any therapy.

When your needs are met, when you’re validated, when you are heard, only then can you begin your healing journey. And all of this comes from within at first. If your inner child is hurting still, then I hope these self-soothing ways can help you heal your inner child and move on.

Let me know what you think about the article in the comments below. If you have anything else to add, then you can write to us at info@calmsage.com.

Take Care!