Unleash your inner child: a path to wellbeing and healing

Being child again...

A few years back, I was visiting Shegaon, Maharashtra - an abode of one of the tallest religious figures in the region 'Gajanan Maharaja'. I was mesmerised by the grandeur of the 'Anand Sagar' complex with a lake, play park and garden. To my astonishment, I observed adults playing on swings, sea-saws and a lot of other adventure games. In an instant, I rushed towards the closest swing to reserve my seat. At that moment, a thought struck my mind. The last time I rushed to reserve my swing was probably before I became a teenager. That day, I played wild and played like a child, after decades. Pause a minute here, and think - when was the last time you had a similar experience? 

Why do we pause being a child?

As we grow up, we see grown-ups having a greater sense of freedom. I observe that once we grow up we can buy more chocolates and toys. Naturally, we levitate to be grown-up especially as we hit our teenage. Besides our parents are persistently telling us to be more mature, to be "grown-up". This is where we loosen the grip over being a child. 

No limits

Every child has no limits defined to creativity, heartiness, boldness, enthusiasm, and growth. Depending on the child's upbringing, these attributes get conditioned as they become adults. If only we can somehow bring out the inner child, we can enjoy these attributes without any inhibition. 

Being a child again

Imagine yourself sitting at a conference room table while surrounded by a bunch of colleagues and your boss. That's what not I mean by saying 'Being a child again'. Instead, it means revitalising the above attributes to live a more cheerful and stress-free life. Now close your eyes and recall those childhood memories for a minute...

... It could be meeting your friends and talking about something silly. 

...Playing a soccer game with your friends for a straight couple of hours. 

...Going with your friend on a long bicycle ride. 

You never bothered about the future while immersed in these activities. We did not have huge expectations from our friends. There is growing evidence that connecting with one's inner child can have a positive impact on overall well-being, reducing stress, anxiety and negative emotions. 

Unleashing the inner child

One has to evaluate their own methods to connect with the inner child, but I will describe my own methods. 

Call a friend randomly

Once or twice a week, I scroll through an address book randomly to choose and call a friend. Just speaking and cherishing good old memories greatly improve my mood. 

Make new connections

For many of us, this is really hard, certainly for me at least. But taking some time to attend meet-ups allows you to form new connections. You may start with casual meet-ups (such as standup comedy) to avoid the fear of being judged (I have that fear while writing this sentence, so I get it). Make sure that you preserve and nurture some of these connections with time. 

Be with people younger than you

Younger people have an abundance of the above-mentioned attributes. I try to play soccer or table tennis with college-going kids. They will surely accept you if you keep an equally hearty attitude.

Sport and more sports

For some adults whose inner child is already alive and thriving, this blog does not serve any purpose except you are here to encourage me. But others can surely connect with such people will help bring out the inner child. For me, such people are those who ride their bicycles hundreds of miles or play soccer or run on a jungle trail. For you, it may be something else. Meeting and joining these exhilarating individuals in their activities will help you to stay in the present moment. 

Connecting Dots...

Every person has a different childhood and trigger points to wake up the inner child. The following steps will help you identify those triggers. 

• Ruminate over the triggers or areas which excited you the most during your childhood
• Connect with your childhood memories through your friends
• Form new connections on the basis of the triggers mentioned above

Remember, we are just minuscule dots in the space-time of the universe. Take a step back and enjoy the ride!