When the Inner Child Gets Hurt
I might be an adult but I don’t always react like one
Only in the last couple of years, I became aware of what the inner child is and the role that my inner child plays in my life. I started working with a therapist at the beginning of 2020, and when she started talking about the inner child, suddenly, all the dots started connecting.
However, it wasn’t until I started dating and eventually met my partner that my inner child showed up. With a bunch of anger tantrums, uncontrollable sobbing, and fears, she really made an entrance.
I am learning about my triggers, fears, and traumas to better understand where the pain is coming from and learn how I can heal it. I am learning how to soothe that little girl inside of me. More importantly, I also realize that no matter how old or ‘grown up’ we are, we all are just little children who want to be seen, heard, and loved.
“You might not be a child anymore, but it doesn’t mean you don’t react as if you’re one.”
It sounded like a weird concept at first, but my therapist had a point. When I really stopped and took note of what triggers me and the reactions I had to those triggers — I realized that they were way out of proportion.
