I asked some of my followers to answer some questions about their relationship with their inner child. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing the responses.
Camila, 22
❤ Describe yourself as a child in three words
curious, honest, and kind
❤ As a child did you have an object you carried around that gave you security?
I had a little stuffed polar bear named cupcake that i would take everywhere with me! Having my bear with me provided this sense of security and comfort I felt I needed wherever I went. I would look for it to hold in times when i was unsure, and would instantly feel relieved when I could find wherever I had put it. Forgetting it somewhere felt like my world was crumbling and I think I was relying on it to feel safe.
❤ How do you create a feeling of inner security and emotional comfort now?
I find comfort and security in spending time and soft moments with the people I love the most. Also by trying to create that feeling of comfort within myself while reading, meditating, making a warm drink and journaling to try to understand my emotions and headspace. Falling asleep afterwards and waking up having done all this tasks lets me feel more secure in my own spaces and self.
❤ Describe your current self in three words
kind, creative, compassionate
❤ How do relate to your inner child?
I relate to my inner child by making time to do the things I used to find joy in, and usually these are things I don’t make time for anymore. Things like painting or walking to new places around my house make me feel like I did when I was younger and more curious than I am now. Getting candy bags at the gas station too! I remember how I used to save my allowance just to buy a big big bag, I try to do that sometimes now.
❤ Do you have any special objects now that create or represent an emotional experience for you?
I have a mug that I used to sit and drink chocolate milk out of with my dad at the breakfast table and pretend it was coffee. I drink coffee out of it now and feel like it’s grown with me. But I still feel so young and like the person I used to be whenever I hold it. It makes me feel nostalgic for the times when I used to wish I was older. It feels like I have waited so long to drink coffee out of it, and that makes it all feel so important.
❤ What would you tell your inner child if you could?
Try to romanticize life the way you used to when you were younger. when things used to seem so big and grand and important and beautiful. They can still feel this way if you let them. Everything can be beautiful as it used to be if you view things the same way. Don’t take advantage of the small moments that get lost in big decisions and choices, they really mean so much more. Hold so tightly onto it all!!
Lucy, 22
❤ Describe yourself as a child in three words
Unjaded, awkward, impulsive
❤ As a child did you have an object you carried around that gave you security?
Stuffed animals or other cute characters/figurines have given me joy or a sense of security throughout my life. I remember having a stuffed turtle named Sabrina that I was obsessed with from grades three to five. I only stopped seeing her as a security object when I was invited to my first ever sleep over. I felt I was too old, too embarrassed to be carrying a toy with me. Sabrina was a kind of pet. I think for most people, dogs are a (wo)man’s best friend, but for me, stuffed animals were my best friend, lol. I was pretty imaginative as a child, and stuffed animals were sort of an outlet. Even now, I make my stuffed animals talk and give them personalities, and I don’t know why.
❤ How do you create a feeling of inner security and emotional comfort now
I create a feeling of inner security and emotional comfort by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and being more gentle with myself. I’m more free after confronting my fears.
❤ Describe your current self in three words
Growing, reserved, passionate
❤ How do relate to your inner child?
I relate to my inner child by remembering the kind of person I used to be before I got older, and I try to fulfill some of the things that my younger self missed out on. I think relating to your inner child means healing from the past.
❤ Do you have any special objects now that create or represent an emotional experience for you?
Since then, I have embraced the fact that I like stuffed animals and cute things in general, haha. My personal style is very minimalistic and streetwear-inspired, but the other side of me is really into Japanese characters or art like Rilakkuma, Sanrio, Pekochan, Sonny Angel, and characters featured in the work of Yoshitomo Nara and Aya Takano. I don’t feel embarrassed about it anymore because my security objects are only a facet of me. My current security object is a Korilakkuma plush which I’ve had since 2016. She’s a tad smaller than the size of my torso which makes her the perfect size for hugging or using as a pillow. I don’t need to bring her with me wherever I go, but I’m always happy to hug her whenever I return from a trip.
❤ What would you tell your inner child if you could?
It’s okay to admit that your childhood wasn’t perfect. You’re allowed to indulge in silly dreams, and don’t be embarrassed about your individuality.
Anonymous
❤Describe yourself as a child in 3 words
uninhibited, sensitive, performative
❤As a child did you have an object you carried around that gave you security?
I always had a blue lace-collared bunny stuffed animal named ‘dad’ even though I wasn’t close to him, I just call it bunny now. It made me feel safe, warm, calm, and peaceful. It felt like the most precious thing in the world and not having it made me feel like I was without a basic need like sleep.
❤How do you create a feeling of inner security and emotional comfort now?
I isolate and escape into another world through creating things like paintings and clothes, or escape into fictional worlds through books. I used to create it through restricting food & controlling weight but not anymore fortunately.
❤Describe your current self in three words
creative, sensitive, clumsy
❤How do relate to your inner child?
Mostly through fears and uncomfortable feelings; like the childlike panic from abandonment (especially romantic) & a gut-feeling of shame in moments I feel stupid.
❤Do you have any special objects now that create or represent an emotional experience for you?
I still have my stuffed bunny; otherwise I have a wooden box from the 1980 moscow olympics from my mom’s childhood, it represents my mom’s side of the family and symbolically holds the summers I spent in the countryside at my grandparents.
❤What would you tell your inner child if you could?
Making mistakes doesn’t make you unlovable. It’s ok to end friendships that make you uncomfortable. People’s actions towards you are a reflection of themselves.
Comments