Comforting Your Inner Child
When the World is Turbulent
Lately, I’ve been a little stressed about the stock market > because for the first time in my life > I actually have more stocks to be stressed about.
Over the past several years, thanks to the care of my financial planner Kathy - along with some money Mom left me, I’ve had the most retirement money I’ve ever had. Thank you, Mom!
Even at it’s high point, I knew the funds would not be enough to get me through old age. Still, it felt more hopeful. Then… down, down, down!
Over the prior decades of my life, the stock market has dived down multiple times (I just researched this) but I wasn’t affected because, well, I didn’t have stock. That meant I could carry on with whatever other life stresses I was having.
This morning, while reading the Substack of
something clicked in me. I needed ~ wanted to connect more with my Inner Child. I always look forward to Liana’s drawings which are child-like and thoughtful.This image of hers really connected with me:
Stocks may be going down, but birdsong is going up. Gee, I hope birdsong is going up! This feels like a spiritual teaching or haiku > life will be life-ing and nature carries on.
This idea is very comforting to me - and it helps me connect to my Inner Child too. How can I keep her (more often) in a place of play, wonder, fun… listening to birdsong? How can I comfort her when life is hard?
Life will keep happening > sometimes stocks are up and sometimes down. Sometimes we get the things we want and sometimes we don’t.
Sidenote: I think a big part of therapy is
becoming the adult who can comfort and heal our own Inner Child!
If I can connect with the little child inside me and promise her that I will be there for her > it helps me feel a lot better. Maybe we dialogue with each other? Maybe we go on a play date together? Maybe in my imagination, I just hold her and rub her shoulder and kiss her head?
My Inner Child is a big influence of why I still love reading children’s picture books > even though I am decades past the official age to be doing so! My Inner Child loves books :)
Weekly, I check out children’s books from the library. I also keep writing stories and illustrating ideas for my own books. This comforts the small girl inside me.
As you can see from these photos » I love joking around and posing with statues - it’s interesting that this involves reading… and play!!
I’d love to know if you connect with your Inner Child - ever, often? Could it help you to do this more?? Maybe the two of you can find some birdsong to listen to? Some fun books to read?
Photo: Birds in Brooklyn, 2022