✦Protecting your Inner Child✦

What is protecting your inner child?

What even is the inner child?

Imagine the inner child as a younger version of yourself, still hidden somewhere deep within your mind. Oftentimes, when I get extremely frustrated, upset, or angry with myself, I imagine I’m not only feeling the negativity towards my current self but my younger self too. This allows me to feel a sense of forgiveness for myself.

Here are ways that I protect the younger version of me.

✦ Make sure not to berate yourself for wrong decisions. Forgive yourself! You’re still learning and growing.

✦ Do things that are fun. I try to make time for doing something I enjoy or love every single day, whether that be seeing my friends, watching an episode of Gilmore Girls, or doing something exciting with my sister.

✦ Try to recognize embarrassment as your ego speaking, and dismantle it. This is easier said than done. You know when you're walking down the hall at school and you see a group of girls who notoriously don’t “like you” whispering? The way your face gets warm and a pit forms in your stomach? That’s embarrassment, and although it’s a normal feeling, put yourself in the position of your younger self: she wouldn’t care! You don’t have control over how they view you, so keep your head up and keep walking.

✦ This is specifically for those who may have dealt with traumatic childhoods: be kind to yourself and any triggers you might have because of it. Recognize you couldn’t change anything that happened to you and treat yourself accordingly :)