Your Inner-Child: Having Fun and Connecting
It’s April Fool’s Day again - the time of the year when we wake up to silly pranks from our loved ones and outrageous “new” brand product launches. As people of all ages engage in the harmless fun of today, let’s talk about the inner-child within us. This inner-child, among other things, requires love and connection as well as a good dose of fun!
The conceptualisation of the inner-child has been commonly associated with psychologist Carl Jung. With Jung’s understanding of it in mind, the inner-child refers to the child within us which stays with us through our lives and impacts the way we perceive the world. The inner-child is associated with one’s childlike-tendencies, innocence, playfulness and creativity.
Caring for our inner-child is important for our mental well-being and this can come in the form of listening to it when we are upset or through indulging it and engaging in activities we enjoyed as children. In our daily lives, we’re often swamped with work with barely a moment to relax, much less play. When was the last time you truly had fun? The rapid pace of life can sometimes prevent us from taking time off to connect with ourselves and to figure out what we truly need. This makes it hard, but not impossible, for us to connect with our inner-child. Let’s talk about how we can start.
1. Have Fun!
As all of us have matured, we have transformed from our tiny selves to become independent adults with responsibilities, concerns and stressors. Amidst the madness of our everyday lives, we sometimes forget the simplest way to relieve our stress - by having fun! Definitions of fun vary from person to person, and there’s no right or wrong way to have fun. A night out might be the most common definition of a leisure activity for us, but why not think out of the box and take a trip down memory lane instead? We've all got special memories associated with our childhood. Be it the hawker centre your parents brought you for breakfast every weekend or the playground you've had fond memories of as a child, going by these places to reminisce about the good times can be a new way for you to have fun. Call up a few friends or family members and you’ll all be able to make new good memories in the same places where you once did.
2. Slow down and Listen
Make time for yourself to connect with your inner-child. Life may make it seem as if we can’t afford to slow down and to give ourselves a breather at times, but choosing to set time aside for ourselves is one way to combat that. Slow down, take it easy when things get tough, and check in with yourself. Some questions that are good for self-reflection include:
How am I feeling now?
What is taking up the most space in my head right now?
Am I feeling any stress? Why am I feeling this way?
What can I do to make myself feel better today?
Have I been getting enough sleep?
What am I tired of? What can I do to relieve my fatigue?
At times, when we don’t check in with ourselves and our inner-child, we may engage in negative behaviours. For example, denying your inner-child’s voice of pain and fatigue may result in you blaming yourself excessively for simple mistakes you make. The solution to this could be as simple as slowing down to listen to the needs of your inner-child and to address them.
3. Be Creative
As we continue the routines of our lives and settle into new ones, sometimes we forget how to do things differently. Making a conscious effort to doing something creative and absolutely wild can allow us to connect with our inner-child. As children, we let our imaginations run wild and we’re often so excited to share new ideas or build new things. Allow yourself to do that as an adult and to pander to your own creative whims! With activities like art-jamming and pottery classes becoming increasingly popular, finding a creative outlet can just be a few online searches away. Nevertheless, don’t let the perceived need for a formal, structured outlet of creativity stop you. Creativity can happen anywhere and everywhere. Scribbles bringing the artwork in your mind to life can be done on any piece of paper or an electronic tablet, or you can just allow your mind to wander as you make your daily commute and dream up fantastical worlds your inner-child would love. Get creative in the ways you create and your inner-child will always be delighted.
At BCD, holistic well-being is integral to the team. Knowing when to let loose, when to slow down and when to engage in a variety of activities to recharge is important so that we can perform at our peak. If a well-balanced environment is what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us. At BCD, our focus is YOU.
