Tag: personal-development

Befriend Your Inner Child

by irenesroth

Most of us go through our day and lives disconnected from ourselves, especially those deeper parts of ourselves. There are parts of us that never left us. It exists alongside us. This is our childhood self. It doesn’t mean we’re immature when we befriend our inner child. Instead, I think we become even more mature by acknowledging that playful part of who we are.

Our inner child can deeply influence how we see the world through the eyes of who we were when we were born. She can influence our intuition and how we live as well. It can impact our life and decisions as well as who we choose for a romantic partner. Yet we may be unconscious of our inner child.

We may even have several inner children as various parts of ourselves can be stuck at a certain age, from baby to adolescent.

If you struggled with childhood trauma where your emotional needs weren’t met, then your inner child might exist as a wounded, angry, shame-filled self and now who feels just as you did when you were the age these experiences occurred.

So, why dos this becoming aware of your inner child matter when you’re chronically ill? It matters because when you have ongoing pain and fatigue, you need to nurture yourself from the inside out. And this means getting to know your inner child.

Here are some ways to get to know your inner child:

  1. Learn to listen to your inner child. She is like any small person. She needs attention. She needs to be listened to. She needs a chance to share her fears, joys, and desires.

Try to set aside time regularly, even if it’s just 5 minutes a day, to listen to your inner child and listen to what she has to say. This an be through meditation, going for a walk, or writing a letter to your inner child. Or, just sit still and listen. The key is to imagine that your adult self is talking to your younger self in a loving way, as you would to a child. Ask your child how she’s feeling right now. Ask her what she needs right now.

  • Commit to taking care of your inner child’s needs. Your inner child needs to know that you’re looking out for her. If your inner child can’t depend on you, you can’t develop a strong relationship with her. Try to become a safe shelter for your inner child. Learn what she needs most at different times. For instance, does she need comfort, protection, limits, boundaries, fun? You must show your inner child that she can rely on you for these things.
  • Start a practice of daily check-ins with your inner child. See what’s bothering her. If you’re scared and your stomach hurts, your inner child may be trying to get your attention.
  • Take your inner child seriously. A child’s concerns are very important. So, commit to paying attention to your younger self. Look for ways you may be invalidating her, even now.. even if her worries seem irrational, you must hold her in your love. As you build trust with your inner child, you’ll develop a deeper relationship with her.
  • Get curious about your feelings about your inner child. Does she make you feel angry, shame or judgmental at times? Are you frustrated with her? If so, try to be more self-compassionate towards her.
  • Connect with a therapist. Inner child work isn’t always easy, especially if you had a difficult time during your younger years. You can have wounds that weren’t processed. This is why getting support from a compassionate professional is so important.

By taking these steps, you’ll be befriending your inner child and getting to know your needs more. And this will help you cope a lot better with your chronic illness and will help you to take special care of yourself on those hardest days.

What Would You Like to Achieve in 2025? How Would you like to Improve? By Irene Roth

by irenesroth

Just because we’re chronically ill doesn’t mean that we can’t want to make this year better than the last. We don’t have to believe that our life is over. We can just rest, relax, and be. But more than that, we can strength ourselves and set small goals that we can accomplish as the year progresses.

It can be hard to set goals for ourselves when we don’t feel well. Every day can become an uphill battle. We seem to only be surviving or doing the basics. But is this the only way we should agree to live? Or can we strive to do a bit more and be more by setting small goals for ourselves?

I sure hope that we can be a lot more than just getting through life, day by day. I believe that we can take steps to improve our lives every year. We can be better, even if it’s a little, this coming year. We just have to be intentional about it. In other words, we have to set conscious goal and plan when we’ll do them and keep stretching ourselves again the next month.

To be intentional about improving, we should decide what we’d like to do. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Would you like to be more active?
  • Read more?
  • Write a blog or book?
  • Declutter your home?
  • Donate stuff that you don’t need to charities?
  • Cook homemade meals more often?
  • Lose weight?

Decide what you’d like to do and then decide which goal you’d like to start with and get going.

I usually try to set one goal per quarter. That gives me the possibility of setting four goal every year, 4 ways of improving every year and getting more mobile, meanly shard, and much more.