When was the last time you did something just because it felt good? 

When you look at children playing, they’re in the moment. They’re not worrying about getting their clothes dirty or what other people think of them. They’re just enjoying themselves. As a child, you probably lost yourself in play for hours. Summer holidays seemed to last forever, not six short weeks. 

That childlike attitude never really leaves us, but as we mature, it’s very easy to forget to have fun. The older we get, the more responsibilities and problems we have which can weigh us down if we let them. 

Psychiatrist Carl Jung identified a child archetype, linking this inner child to an individual’s past experiences and memories of a more innocent time filled with fun, play, and creativity. Many mental health expects see this inner child as a representation of your child self combined with your lived experience of subsequent life stages. 

This inner child can be a great source of strength, but if you’ve had a difficult childhood, that inner child can also negatively impact on your life until you do the healing to give yourself the support you needed but didn’t get when you were young. There is research to suggest that connecting with and understanding your inner child can improve your health and wellbeing. 

Working with your inner child can be as simple as doing something you find fun. Think back to what you enjoyed doing as a child but have allowed to fall away from your life and start doing it again. I had forgotten just how much I loved riding bikes until I bought myself one a few years ago. While my legs weren’t up for a long ride the first time I went out, I discovered so much joy from being out in the fresh air, speeding along the bike trail. That first ride didn’t take me far, but now I can cycle all the way up the mountain to the next town – and then freewheel all the way home!

Other childhood activities I’ve rediscovered as an adult include colouring (before it became a craze!) and doing jigsaw puzzles. These activities are wonderfully mindful – there’s no deep thought involved, so my brain gets a bit of downtime, but at the same time I’m engaged in creating something beautiful, which is so rewarding.