I have a friend who everyone seems to love. She is of a mature age (trying to be polite here) and lives life in a responsible way. What makes her stand out, though is her penchant for wearing pink, sparkly high top sneakers. Everywhere. Even business meetings and church. She says they make her happy and remind her to sparkle. I’ve noticed that they also make the people around her smile.
My friend has tapped into her playful inner child.
I want what she has. She seems to feel lighter and happier than the rest of us. More care free. And, her sparkliness invites adventure, fun, and friendships into her life.
It’s easy to forget what it feels like to play. As an adult you have responsibilities and expectations to live up to. You are probably so busy doing what you think you have to do that you don’t even remember you have all that joy within. But, don’t worry. You inner child will never give up on you.
You can reconnect with her again through:
Playful Action: When you move like or emulate the posture of a happy child, the happiness will follow. Don’t ask me how it works. It just does. Try it. Walk around like a cute little kid looking for fun. You might be surprised how good it feels. Other ways to tap into this playfulness include:
- Jumping up and down or even better, jumping in puddles or piles of leaves
- Riding something with wheels – a bike, skateboard, or even a shopping cart will do
- Skipping or twirling
- Singing in the shower, or really anywhere
- Dancing like no one is watching
- Swinging on the swings at the park
- Doing anything you loved to do when you were little
Playful Attitude: Kids believe in their own super powers and have high expectations for fun and adventure. You can bring some of that attitude into your daily life by:
- Spending time with what makes you giggle and laugh
- Reading Dr. Seuss or other favorite children’s books
- Letting the housework slide to go have fun
- Enjoying the process of doing things without any concern for the outcome
- Seeing the world as a friendly place full of fun and adventure
- Doing something impulsive
- Skipping fear and going outside your comfort zone
Playful Expression: Can you remember being lost in creating something, like finger painting and just enjoying the process without any expectations? It’s time to bring out that care free creation again by:
- Wearing something fun – what is your equivalent of pink, sparkly, high top sneakers?
- Playing with little kids, or puppies, or kittens
- Coloring in coloring books or being expressive on blank sheets of paper
- Making play dates with your inner child, let her choose what you do
- Inviting other people and their inner children to join you
- Participating in a fun event
- Singing silly childhood songs
- Creating anything artistic with no expectations
Reconnecting with your child self will lighten your world and improve your energy so that adult life doesn’t seem that hard. Don’t let this playful, care free part of yourself stay hidden. Bring her out to play!
Don’t forget to leave a comment. What does your inner child want to say?
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
How to Reconnect with Your Most Powerful, or Joyful, or Loving Self
My inner child says, “Lighten up. Be more spontaneous. Play, sing, and dance more.”
I’m working on it.
I think our inner children must know each other and talk about us behind our backs about all this being lighter stuff.
I cannot even tell you how much I love this! It’s so true, our inner child is ALWAYS there, you just need to remember to let it OUT and have some fun…what else is life for anyway?!
Thanks for the special reminder 🙂
You are most welcome. I hope you and your inner child have some fun today! And, every day.
Becoming a child like is sure not easy for me. Even when dancing on my own, where nobody’s around, something inside me immediately correcting me, “No, that’s not right.”
I’m aware there’s always a child in me. A child who sometimes just want to be playful and do crazy sometimes annoying stuffs.
I wish I can implement some fun in my blogging. So it doesn’t always stiff and techie.
Even one of the richest guy in the world suggest to have some fun in the business. I still wonder how to have one, when we are constantly under pressure to meet the end.
To have fun in pressuring situation is sure something I would like to know how.
Thank you for sharing your challenge with tapping into your child self. What I have learned is that we usually get the same amount of work done whether we feel pressure or not. I often find I accomplish even more on days I designate as free days. We create the feeling of pressure ourselves. Other people could get the same amount of work done without that feeling. So, we can also let it go.
My sense is that you may be very hard on yourself. You also mentioned your blogging feels stiff to you. What if letting go of the pressure you put on yourself will make your blog more successful? And, just imagine how it would feel.
So, I encourage you to take breaks to swing on the swings or play with hot wheels, or whatever feels fun for you. Start your day with an intention to be easy on yourself and productive at the same time. Or, choose three words to focus on each day. (My words today are peaceful, powerful, and positive.) And lastly, at the end of each day take a moment to remember the magical moments or write down what you are grateful for. This will start shifting the neuro pathways in your brain to a more positive, productive state naturally.
My wish for you is that you start to experience more child like moments and how effective you can be without pressuring yourself.