An Uncustomary Babe requested a post of ways to embrace your inner child. I thought about it for a little and wondered how this list would ultimately be different from my suggestions of ways to play. After talking about it a bit, I realized the important distinction is embracing and activating your inner child, while definitely incorporating play, definitely calls on your ability to have a sense of wonder, find the simple pleasures in life, and live with a bit of whimsy.
As adults, it can become easier and easier to lose touch with our inner child. The thing is, it’s still inside us, and it’s naturally there. We’ve just built up blocks and barriers that obstruct us from tapping into it as easily and regularly. You don’t need to develop more of an inner child, you simply need to get in touch with the one you haven’t talked to in a while!
This list is intended to jog your mind, knock stuff loose, and tap into a natural childlike sense of wonder that was never really lost, but possibly put on the back burner for longer than we intended. What a beautiful act of self-love.
25 Ways To Embrace Your Inner Child
1. Meditate and actually talk to your inner child – tell them you love them, you forgive them, they aren’t to blame, and you’re ready to be friends
2. Remember you can be mature, responsible and still connect to your inner child [read more on Being The Kind Of Adult You Want]
3. Make plans to see the world (even if it’s walking around your own city on a regular basis) because it’s extremely important to consistently present yourself with new stimulus that you can have the opportunity to easily be excited about
4. Splash in puddles and linger in the rain to dance, kiss, and twirl instead of worrying about getting wet or ruining your hair
5. Laugh without shame – stop being polite when you laugh and let that belly laugh roar no matter what you sound like when you do it
6. Draw a mural, outline your body, or write positive quotes with sidewalk chalk
7. Brainstorm a list of 100 ways you can use an every day object to ignite creativity
8. Lay on your back and find shapes in the clouds during the day and look for constellations at night
9. Come up with a completely different persona and be that person for a day (new accent, new wardrobe, new backstory); really use your imagination!
10. Color in pictures or mandalas and allow yourself to enjoy the smell of the crayons and zen out with the repetitive task/motion
11. Think of something that would be amazing if it was an invention (and try to make it!)
12. Bring party hats the next time you go out to eat and be adamant you’re celebrating the fact you’re alive
13. Stop feeling guilty for “guilty pleasures” and start labeling them accurately: your interests! If you like boy bands, Cadbury eggs, or romantic comedies that means you like those things and there’s nothing to be ashamed of! So add them to your rotation of things you enjoy
14. Blow bubbles out of a car window, while swinging on a swing, or sitting stationery at a park and see who you can attract with your whimsical rainbow show
15. Think back to something you imagined being an adult would entail and no matter how ridiculous it seems, if it still appeals to you, make it happen in some form or another
16. Dance in your house (bonus point for being naked), or out in public and don’t care who sees or how it looks
17. Create a bubble of protection around yourself, whether that means putting on a pair of sunglasses you truly believe makes you invisible or simply imagining a ring of space around you full of light and energy that no one can penetrate with negativity, remember you are in charge of making yourself feel safe and feeling safe is important
18. Instead of scheduling your next happy hour, dinner outing, or go-to meet-up with friends, organize an old school sleepover with board games, delicious food, decorations, favor bags, the works
19. Write a letter to your inner child that addresses any fears they may (have) had, let her know how things turn out, and assure her you’re not going to stop things you enjoy
20. Write a letter from your inner child to your adult self, pleading with you to not forget to stop doing things you enjoy now and what you hope life is like as an adult
21. Cry, scream, and release those “negative” emotions when you want to – take a lesson from babies who express their emotions physically (who says we aren’t allowed to cry in public anymore?)
22. When given the opportunity to make something special, go all out (like if you need to make an impromptu sign for a package being delivered in the back of your house, use all rainbow markers and decorate it with stickers!)
23. Dig out something that was special to you from your childhood and place it prominently in your living space (a drawing, a stuffed animal, a toy, a board game, etc.)
24. Build a fort and work from inside it (bring everything you can imagine needing for a few hours and refuse to come out)
25. Identify as a creative person – remember there are 8 different types of creative intelligences
How do you embrace your inner child?
Photos: Maura Housley
