Letting Your Inner Child Out to Play

Much of our stress and anxiety comes from the inner tug-of-war between our inner child and inner parent. The child wants to play, rest, and explore. The adult wants to tick off the to-do list, keep things tidy, and stay in control. The child wants to dance in the kitchen; the adult mutters something about the floor being slippery.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone, we all have these two voices. The trick isn’t to silence either, but to let them talk. When we listen to our inner child, and even indulge them a little, we often feel lighter, more creative, and oddly calmer. Sometimes that means loosening the old “rules” we absorbed growing up: the ones that equated being loved with being “good” or “sensible.”

In therapy, I use parts work (IFS) to explore these voices. To learn where rules came from and how they shaped the parts of you that got tucked away for safekeeping. Together, we work on bringing those parts back into the light, gently, curiously, and with compassion (and maybe a bit of humour).

So go ahead, sing badly, daydream boldly, dance like nobody’s judging… and make no apologies.

🌼 You’re human. Perfectly imperfect and worthy of joy.

~ Jumbled Bean