By apurva 
Has it ever felt to you like you’re not good enough, even when you’re giving it your best shot? Or you may have wondered why you can’t get over specific places in your life when you wish you could. These feelings are often attached to limiting beliefs—ideas about ourselves that prevent us from reaching our full potential. But do not worry; there is a way to overcome these kinds of beliefs, and that is by using inner child work. Let’s discuss what that is and how it can help you.
What Are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are basically negative thoughts or assumptions that we hold about ourselves. They generally start at the early stages of life and can, in more instances than one, start defining us in how we view ourselves and our capabilities. If, like in childhood, you were constantly reminded you weren’t good with math, you grew up thinking you would never be good with numbers. These beliefs limit us in what we believe can be possible for us.
What Is Inner Child Work?
Inner child work is a type of therapy that develops the inner child and its relationship with the self. Imagine there is a child within you: just an earlier, younger version of you. That inner child retains the feelings and memories of yore, along with all the beliefs of childhood. Inner child work is where a person communicates with that part of themselves to know and heal old hurts that influence the person’s beliefs and behaviors today.
Why does the inner child work?
Our early years form an important part of our lives. If you had adversities or negative messages as a child, they could be affecting your self-esteem and confidence now. Inner child work helps you address these past experiences and counteract the negative beliefs that have been built up over time. By doing so, you replace personal limiting beliefs with empowering ones to grow, achieve, and have much more in life.
How To Get Started with the Inner Child Work
You don’t require special tools or unique training to get started with inner child work. Here is a simple step-by-step guide to help you get started.
Create Quiet Space
Find a quiet, peaceful place to sit without noise. This will help you reach your inner child without disturbance.
Close your eyes and imagine your younger self. Picture what you looked like as a child and try to recall how you felt during that time. It can be helpful to think about your inner child as a real person who needs your support.
Talk to Your Inner Child
Speak gently to your inner child. Ask them how they are feeling and wait for their answer. You will be amazed that they can feel scared or sad about what happened to that little boy or girl.
Acknowledge and Comfort
Assure the inner child that you are there for them and that their feelings are valid, just as one would console and reassure a small child who feels upset or afraid.
Identify Limiting Beliefs
Reflect on the beliefs of your inner child. For example, if you were criticized often when young, you might have believed you were not good enough. Note such beliefs and then look for current implications.
Challenge Beliefs and Change
Once you’ve identified limiting beliefs, question those beliefs. Ask yourself if these beliefs are really true or are just old ideas that are not useful for you anymore. For example, if you believe that you are not good enough, replace it with “I am capable and deserving of success.”
Create New Positive Experiences
Do things that will make you feel wonderful and that will reinforce your new positive beliefs. Celebrate all your victories and practice your positive tendencies.
Patience and Perseverance
Healing is a time-consuming process. Your inner child might need regular therapy, and modifying hard-wired beliefs is not a one-night job. Therefore, you need to have a lot of patience and practice working on your inner child each day.
Inner child work can provide many benefits in your life. Here are a few of them:
Increased self-awareness: You get to understand why you are the way you are, gaining insights into your behaviors and feelings.
Improvement in self-esteem: This is caused due to healing past wounds and building more self-worth.
Bettered relationships: This improves the way you relate to others as a result of facing and tackling beliefs and needs head-on.
More Resilient: While challenging and changing limiting beliefs, you are becoming more adaptable and resilient.
Real-life Examples
To understand how inner child work makes a difference, let’s look at a couple of examples:
Sarah’s Story
Sarah always had presentation anxiety. In inner child work, she discovered that she was constantly reprimanded for speaking out in class at school. By reassuring her inner child and changing her belief from “I’m not good at speaking” to “I can talk about myself confidently,” Sarah became all right with speaking in front of groups.
Mike’s Personal Experience
Mike felt deep inside that he was not able to be successful at work. The inner child revealed that he was told as a child that he wasn’t smart enough. By soothing his inner child and changing the belief to “I am intelligent and capable,” Mike found the confidence to pursue his work promotion and achieve success.
Tips for Success
Following are some other tips that may help you in being successful with inner child work:
Keep a Journal: Monitor your progress and record any feelings or experiences you have along the way.
Seek Help if You Need It: If you find it challenging to work on your inner child, you may need to collaborate with an expert in the field.
Self-Care: This is a physical and emotional healing of the self
Conclusion
It is a journey, for sure, but working with the inner child can be a very potent part of this process of healing limiting beliefs. By connecting with and healing your inner child, you’re giving yourself the power to address past injuries and change negative beliefs that are now blocking you from living better. Always remember that this is a way of nurturing, being patient, and advancing positively and meaningfully in your life. Give yourself an opportunity to grow and thrive by embracing this compassionate approach to self-improvement.