At the heart of every person is a child; a youthful soul who craves love and affection. Your childhood has shaped the wants and needs of this inner child. Anger, frustration, happiness, and good times all combine to form your inner child.
Your inner child can be seen as a shadow of your youth. It will have the memories you made during your childhood, both good and bad. Your relationships with your parents and examples of relationships will shape your relationship as an adult. Sometimes this is not the best thing; you may need to let go of a wounded inner child to set yourself free from its binds.
Sign 1: Blurred Lines
You may experience blurry lines in your relationships, specifically those within romantic relationships or familial relationships. This is referred to as enmeshment. It is when your emotions and thoughts cannot easily be identified as separate from those of a loved one.
The first signs of enmeshment are already visible in childhood when a child forms a bond with its parents. This strong connection should start to dissipate as a child becomes older. Some parents cling onto their children and don’t allow them to form their personalities.
Enmeshment can also occur in romantic relationships when a couple does not give each other space. A relationship consists of two individuals but this can become difficult if both parties become one and stop acting as individuals.
Sign 2: Hiding Your Emotions
Your inner child could be hurting, especially if you are not communicating your emotions. You may be bottling up feelings out of fear. You are scared of your actions and emotions will hurt your loved one’s feelings so you do not speak your mind.
Overeating, having low self-esteem, being manipulative, or showing aggression can indicate a hurt inner child. Constantly overthinking situations is typical of hidden emotions. You tend to converse with yourself instead of speaking out.
You need to pluck up the courage to face these emotions. Tell you’re significant other how you feel and why this is the case. The only way to get inner peace is by confronting the situation.
Sign 3: Toxic Relationships
Some people constantly find themselves in situations where they are hurt, physically, or emotionally. You do not get any respect from the other person and you feel that outbursts are unpredictable.
You may feel that you cannot trust the other person and feel skeptical about trusting anybody. Constant skepticism regarding people’s motives is a clear indicator of a hurt inner child. The only way to deal with this situation is to remove yourself from the situation and destructive relationship.
Sign 4: Repetitive Behaviour
People who have hurt inner child tend to repeat behaviors. It is comforting for them to know what their situation will be, even if the situation is not a good one. You may tend to embrace the known aspects, rather than worrying about unknown emotions.
A person with repetitive behaviors will choose the same type of partner time and again. All your partners will share certain character traits and none will heal your inner child. You may have an addictive personality: You could be addicted to toxic people, substances, or a certain lifestyle.
Your inner child wants to know peace and happiness. Confront yourself with your emotions and thoughts. Share these with your partner and other people you have relationships with. As you sort through these issues, you will start to get peace and foster a happy inner child.
