Journaling with Your Inner Kid

by Jill Schoenberg

Oh the wondrous results I’ve seen just from this simple yet profound activity! Let me tell you more…

Consider This:  When our inner kid is hurting we often experience a sense of disempowerment and our authentic voices are very often suppressed or even silenced altogether. Moreover, we tend to be driven by what we “should” say or how we“should” act or behave rather than from our heart’s true desires. 

On the other hand, when our inner kid is happy we often experience playfulness,increased energy and more laughter.  We feel empowered, alive, energetic, creative and expressive.  In other words we feel more like our real,authentic selves. You agree that sounds exciting, right?  Well it is and I want to tell you more so please keep reading!

Benefits of Journaling with Your Inner Kid

Through a very simply and enjoyable journaling process (which I describe in detail below) my inner child aspect went from being hurt and lonely to happy and joyous.  This shift occurred in a very short amount of time using an activity that was easy to fit into my busy life. 

And,even more exciting is that this shift has had profound, positive affect on the quality of my daily life.  Here is a listing of just a few of the awesome benefits I experienced since I began journaling with my inner kid:

- Greater playfulness

- More honesty and truth

- Increased innocence

- Insightful imagination

- More joy in my day

You,too, can experience these same benefits by journaling with your inner kid.  Improve the quality of your daily life by tuning in to and heeding the voice of your inner kid.

Now,let us explore the details of this exciting journaling activity.

JOURNALING WITH YOUR INNER KID ACTIVITY

I would like to share with you the journaling process I used to work with my inner kid.  It’s made up of a simple two-step process.

Step One:  Simple Mediation (2-5 minutes)

• Close your eyes and see yourself in your mind’s eye as the age you are now. (This is your adult-self aspect)

• See your adult self in one of your favorite places.  For me this happens to be an open clearing next to a densely wooded area of mostly red oak tress with a pond nearby.

• Take 3 deep breaths and feel yourself very present in your favorite place. Notice details to make the image more vivid.  For me I hear the sweet sounds of birds chirping and wind blowing trough the leaves in the trees. 

• Call forth your inner kid aspect and ask her to join you in your favorite place.  Tell her that she is safe in every way possible when with you.

• Welcome your inner kid and thank him/her for joining you.

• Here is the heart of this meditation: Ask your inner kid what she needs from you and how you may help her.Here are some specific questions you may wish to ask your inner kid:

How do you feel?

What are you thinking?

How may I help you right now to feel better, happier, more secure?

What would you like to tell me today? What would you like to share with me? What would you like to show me?

What do you want me to know?

Why do you not want to share with me? Are you afraid? If so, why?

Why are you feeling happy, sad, scared, afraid, lonely, stuck …?

• Thank your inner kid again for joining you and invite her to joinyou again next time.  When you are ready,say goodbye to your inner kid.

Step Two: Reflection with Journaling

• In your journal, describe your favorite place in detail.

• Describe your inner kid in detail, include her age, posture, voice quality, gate/walk, and any other details you can recall.

• Write about how you and your inner kid connected.  Was it an easeful connection or an awkward one?  Did you feel distant or very close?

• Record the message(s) you inner kids gave to you when you asked her what she needed from you and how you could help her.

• Did your inner kid tell you her feelings and thoughts?  Did her message surprise you? What did you learn from her?

• How did you and your inner child part ways?  Was there a loving connection or a distant respect?  Did you wave goodbye only or did you also hug? 

I suggest that you repeat this inner kid journaling activity at least 21 times over the next 30 days.  You will be amazed at all that you’ll learn and how your relationship with your inner kid will shift, change and grow.  Oh, and each time you repeat this activity please allow room and flexibility for the appearance of your inner kid to change and adjust. 

I suggest also that you return to the same favorite location each time as this affords a sense of security and predictability, which helps your inner kid aspect to feel safe and secure. 

Hereare a few easy-to-following tips I suggest you use during your inner kid journaling exercise:

Tip #1 – Do not push or force this process… rather do go easy with this and allow your inner kid aspect to reveal herself to you on her terms.

Tip #2 – Do not analyze… rather do explore, learn and discover.

Tip #3 – Do not look down to your child… rather do meet your child at her eye level.  This evens out the power exchange between your adult and your inner kid aspects. 

If you stick with this exciting and powerful journal activity I know that you’ll begin to re-discover the natural joyous nature of your inner kid.  For some this joy will be evident right way,while for others it may take much longer. For me the joyous nature of inner kid fully appeared to me about 14 days into the process. 

Speaking of the joyous nature of kids, I suggest that you get creative and expand on your usual ways of keeping a journal when journaling with the help of your inner kid.  To help you gain new journal techniques and ideas I invite you to visit Journal Buddies to view a listing of twenty five innovative and creative journaling ideas and prompts.  I highly recommend that you use some of these ideas while completing this journaling activity to give your inner kid a more powerful voice and presence in your journal keeping.

It is my hope and intention to inspire you to integrate this inner kid activity into your journal keeping.  It is also my hope to inspire you to expand your journal keeping adventures to include more playful, creative and expressive journaling techniques.

May your journaling adventure with your inner kid be a joyous journey of discovery and self-discovery and self-expression. Savor and enjoy, heal and grow, discover and explore, but most all go easily and let the wisdom of your inner kid flow effortlessly from your mind and heart onto the page of your journal.

Happy journaling…

~~~

Jill Schoenberg is the author of the awardwinning books Journal Buddies: A Girl’s Journal for Sharing and Celebrating Magnificence and Journal Buddies: A Boys Journal for Discovering and Sharing Excellence.

Please visit www.journalbuddies.com for more information about Jill and her books.