Tapping into your Inner Child

So carefree, so young, how can I reach that again? Children are brilliantly carefree, creative, inspirational, and in many cases, even world-changing. Yet what makes them so different from adults? Many adults find themselves equally as young, through the idea of tapping into their inner child. There are key ideas to expand our horizons, aiding in school, work, or at home. Let’s get started, no?

Try something simple.
Young children typically do not participate in exceptionally difficult, demanding tasks, which promotes less stress. While many of us like complexity – and it great for your brain – sometimes we need to rest. Take an afternoon and blow bubbles, bake chocolate chip cookies, or do some coloring. Don’t worry about being perfect, or exact, and just let yourself relax into the activity!

There are billions of simple, fun things you can do. For instance, blowing bubbles not only is calming and amusing, but it opens your eyes to see the world around you. Give it a try sometime!

Ask more questions.
How does this work? What is that glowing thing? Why is the sky blue? Children are blooming with great, aspiring questions! I feel a lot of us start relying a lot on ourselves to figure out the answers, which is fantastic. But what about when we actually need answers from someone? Directions? A recipe? I feel that if we seek answers and ask questions, our curiosity will begin to open.

“Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Visit childhood places.
If we have good memories from our childhood, revisiting specific places reunite a sense of creative admiration. Sure, locations change over time, as do we, but that means we can become curious about it once more. This means more art, a young spirited mind, and greater happiness for ourselves.

Perhaps not everyone lives in the Netherlands on a farm like this, but it could be anything you’ve known. A classic pizza restaurant that served sodas with bendy straws, an arcade with classic Pacman, or the small park where you lost your first tooth.

Take in the world.

There is so much to see around you! Older kids and adults get so caught up in our lives, again, many of us forget to just breathe and look around. From chirping birds, a flower under a bustling highway, to the dazzling cumulus and cirrocumulus clouds bustling together. Disconnect from reality, let go and be yourself. Observe with a light mind, jotting down ideas for creative works later.

How do I begin?

Take time every evening to do this simple exercise, and over the course of a few weeks or months, see your improvement. Our minds can expand and change, so I hope together we can open up ours to new ideas! Here’s what I have for you to start with:

Monthly Tasks (update these monthly):

The additions you want to see:
These are younger spirited activities you want to add to your life. I really recommend journaling, art, photography, and nature walks as a good start.

The modifications you wish to see:
This section is for things in your life you want to change or remove in order to have less stress, be open-minded, healthy, and carefree. For instance, setting an hour aside each day for disconnecting from technology and going on a walk. Just experiment to find what works best!

Your ultimate goal:
What will make you the happiest? Being able to go a day without cringing at work? Having a month full of creative poetry entries? Anything you set your mind to you can achieve.

Even something as simple as going on a daily nature walk is a great monthly goal! Remember, simplicity and free spirited is what you want. Having a goal like “I will organize 50% more files this month!” isn’t really the best choice.

Daily Questions:

Have I worked on my additions and modifications?

Do I feel less constrained than yesterday?

Have I asked more questions?

What have I observed today that I never realized before?

These few questions and monthly analysis shall help you open up the inner child! Remember, only you really know what works best. Perhaps visiting childhood locations isn’t as effective as reconnecting with an old friend. Or vice versa – it really depends on your personality and life experiences. I wish you all the best of luck!

Until next time,

Ashlee G., Author of Creative Thinking Well