I believe my inner child might be responsible for this uncharacteristic act of silliness, for I am not what you’d describe as a spontaneous, irresponsible shopper. But lately, following instructions from the angels, I’ve been listening to my inner child and it’s made me take life a lot less seriously – which is pretty welcome.
The idea of the inner child is difficult for a thirtysomething to comprehend. Play is for little kids, right? But the more I read about inner child work, the more intrigued I am.
It’s said that we have three parts to our identities. For women: the maiden (inner child), mother (nurturer) and matriarch (the teacher). For men: the lad, the dad and the patriarch. Most of us abandon our inner child as we grow up, thinking it has no place in the adult world. Yet making time to be silly and light-hearted is very important for a balanced sense of wellbeing. This doesn’t mean starting a food fight at the family lunch or telling fart jokes (though I’m all for a bit of immature humour) but it does mean making room to be carefree. It changes your perspective, and that’s when your creativity really starts to flow.
Some ways I’ve been nurturing my inner child include:
* Colouring in. You guys, this is so, so fun. I bought a book called Colouring In For Grown-ups and I highly recommend it. This activity is incredibly therapeutic. I’m not the only one getting down with colouring in – in France, colouring books for adults are now outselling cookbooks. Seriously!
* Swinging. No, not that kind of swinging – get your mind out of the gutter! I mean playing on swings at the local playground. Just be careful of any little kids, who tend to wander out in front of you (which may end badly).
* Dancing. Try not to laugh, but I’ve started a ritual of coming home from work and blasting Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off and dancing like no one is watching (and no one is). You can actually feel your problems fall off the end of your fingertips. My spirits are so high that I often end up playing a few more songs before I have to stop and catch my breath. This is how I remember what it means to feel alive.
* Watching Disney movies. These are always so beautifully done, and often include some simple but powerful messages about life. Preach, Disney!
