Every human has some sort of inner voice. Sometimes it acts as a critic or a judgmental parent, and sometimes it sounds like us… just younger. While we age and go through different phases of life, our inner child will always remain with us.

Childhood should be a happy, playful filled time in our lives, but unfortunately that isn’t the case for everyone. Instead, childhood’s can be filled with trauma, abandonment, and neglect. This pain can be buried deep inside and manifest in multiple different ways as we get older.

That’s why healing your inner child is difficult yet necessary work.

This inner child is a representation of past versions of ourselves in our childhood, sometimes from one age but often representing multiple ages. If you think of children, often it’s linked to innocence, creativity, and curiosity. Some of these attributes we lose or dismiss as we age. But when we tap into our inner child, you connect with their qualities and attributes that you experienced at that age.

Wounds associated with your inner child can happen when you experience a traumatic event with no repair or closure as a child. These become internalized and shape who we become as an adult. An example of internalization is if a caretaker or sibling convinced you that nothing you said was smart enough or if they were emotionally neglectful. As an adult, you display these thoughts about yourself by not speaking up, by telling yourself you’re stupid, etc.

Adults carry wounds from their childhoods, and by healing those hurts, you’re able to fully process what occurred while moving forward. When we take time to do this work, we create the safety and security our younger selves crave. We understand and use our natural gifts such as curiosity, fun, and playfulness.

How do we begin this healing process? First, acknowledge your inner child. It may be silly or awkward at first, but sitting down and realizing there’s past trauma you need to heal from is step one. Try to talk to this younger version of yourself by writing him/her a letter about who they grow up to be.

What are things you enjoyed as a child that you don’t do anymore? Maybe you were an avid finger painter but have since stopped. Grab some paint, a canvas, and some brushes and spend an hour just creating and being present in that moment. Bring to life old habits or hobbies that meant a lot to you and focus on giving your inner child a voice.

It’s never too late to heal and to reconnect with your inward self. Work through the hurt and pain so you’ll be a better version of yourself.