Take care of your Inner Child

learning to accept the child you once were as an important part of the adult you.

Whatever our upbringing has been, as adults our self-esteem is in our own hands. - Dr Nathaniel Branden

The child you once were lives on inside you, influencing every thought, every emotion, every move. You're with each other every minute of the day. Many people are in adult bodies but they still react like children, still attached to their parents, never having broken free from the attitudes and beliefs they acquired in their youth.

Your Inner Child is the part of your personality which:

1. Is playful and spontaneous
2. Likes having fun
3. Is imaginative
4. Loves the world of 'let's pretend'
5. Is sensitive
6. Needs to be cared for and understood
7. Likes to please, seeking love and approval in return.

Like a real child, an Inner Child starved of love, warmth and understanding is easily hurt, and may become depressed and withdrawn. The Inner Child can be the source of much adult unhappiness if it is still harbouring anger, pain and guilt from earlier years. If this is true for you, you can never be truly confident and happy unless these feelings are resolved.

Learn to accept your Inner Child as an important and valuable part of you.