5 Ways How to Comfort You Inner Child and Self-Soothe

“The cry we hear from deep in our hearts, comes from the wounded child within. Healing this inner child’s pain is the key to transforming anger, sadness and fear.” Thich Nhat Hanh 

A few months ago, I sat down to do one of my favorite meditations from Joe Dispenza. I was able to drop in within a few minutes while getting into a deep, relaxing state.

As I was sitting there, listening to his voice and following the guidance, suddenly I saw the little me. I was about seven years old, wearing a white shirt and pink skirt my mom made for me.

At first, I was surprised to see this image of me. However, I decided to let go and surrender to the moment. Suddenly, a sense of overwhelming sadness and compassion stepped in. I looked at my child self and began crying.

A few seconds later, I started apologizing to her. I apologized for letting her down, not protecting her but harming her instead, and allowing things she didn’t feel comfortable with. Although I felt sorrow, I also felt relief and love.

During this special, unintentional bonding moment with my inner child, I realized how powerful it is to work with that scared, hurt, little girl inside me.

Although I get up every morning as an adult version of myself and do all the grown-up things I have to, deep inside is a little girl who will never stop expecting love, care, and compassion from me.

After this beautiful, bonding, and healing moment during my meditation, I decided to deepen the relationship with my inner child to heal myself and work through some of my traumatic experiences.

Here are five things I implemented into my daily and weekly practice. They helped me to develop a more honest and authentic relationship with who I am while honoring my wounded inner child.

1 I started acknowledging “HER”

After the meditation, I realized I neglected my inner child for a while. Therefore, I decided to make it a regular practice speaking to her. I found empowering to face the little me while approaching her with curiosity, care, gentleness, and love.

Since then, each time I look at my 7-year-old self, an overwhelming sense of positive emotions washes over me. I feel love, sometimes sadness, but mostly compassion and empathy. Therefore, I find these moments extremely soothing and empowering. I am mindful that I must protect her, which leads me to…

2 I made a promise to “HER”

During the meditation, as I hugged the little me while apologizing to her, I decided to make a promise. Because I empathized with a pain she felt (since it was my pain), I promised her that going forward, I won’t let things slide while walking on the same path as I have.

Since I recognized the neglect and self-sabotage I inflicted on my inner child, the innocence I saw in her empowered me to make this promise as concrete as I possibly could.

3 I committed to intense meditation practice

Although I am sure you are familiar with what meditation is or even how it works, if you are still contemplating whether to take on a challenge, I say DO IT with 100% confidence.

For the past few months, after I doubled down on my meditation practice, I have seen a huge difference in my mental and emotional state. My anxiety level went significantly down, and my sleep improved. But not only that. Meditation and mindfulness keep me centered, calm down my nervous system, allow me to open up and cry and connect with my inner child on a deep level.

Meditation is a beautiful practice that provides you with tons of mental and emotional benefits. Also, it serves as an act of self-love that expresses your commitment to healing and loving who you are.

4 I became addicted to 2X Breath

2X breath, also known as 2-to-1 breathing, is a simple breathing technique to calm your nervous system while getting you out of fight or flight mode.

This technique is essential when you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed. During the 2-to-1 breathing technique, your exhale is twice as long as your inhale.

Here is how it works: Let’s start with inhaling through your nose for 2, and exhaling through your mouth for 4. After you have done the 2:4 a few times, you can elongate your inhale for 3 and exhale for 6.

Although I usually go as far as counting to 4 while inhaling and counting to 8 when exhaling, you can elongate your inhales and exhales based on your preference. I recommend elongating your inhales and exhales once you get a bit of practice.

5 I cleanse my home of negative energy

About two years ago, one of my good friends Gaia introduced me to smudging. I fell in love with this spiritual practice and incorporated it into my weekly cleansing ritual.

Every Sunday, I smudge my home with smudge sticks. My favorite is Palo Santo and White Sage, but any smudge sticks will work. To make this practice soothing, peaceful, and relaxing, I often play meditation music that reflects love and positivity.

This simple practice allows me to get centered, connect with myself and cleanse my home of any negativity I bring in. If you would like to learn more about smudging and how it works, check out THIS article.

Conclusion

When we are healing our souls, wounds, and triggers, we want to learn how to connect with ourselves on a deeper level. Going within, practicing mindfulness, and developing a relationship with your inner child are all powerful practices for healing and recovery.

I encourage you to start focusing on that little girl inside you who may be scared, lonely, or sad and begin developing a relationship with her. Inner child work is one of the most powerful ways to practice self-love and heal disowned parts of you.

Since you are the most important person in your life, developing a healthy relationship with your inner child provides nurturing and deep healing. I invite you to go and love her – she might need it.