Growing up?

Growing up is one of the inevitabilities of life but have you ever thought to yourself that you just don't want to; you would rather hold on to the carefree spirit of your childhood. It's something I'm sure everyone has thought about and can relate to.

I recently turned 20 and in all honesty, I wasn't too happy about it. It made me realise how quickly life has been moving and continues to move and how I haven't been able to keep up for a while. One minute you're starting secondary school, the next you're finishing your second year of university and entering a new decade of your life which can be really daunting. You find that going into a new phase of your life there can be so many achievements or life goals that people expect you to meet or you see other people the same age doing or experiencing things that you haven't even thought about yet like getting a job, learning how to drive, moving out and living by yourself. It all just makes you want to be a kid again, doesn't it?

Have you ever found it interesting, when you were younger and you got into trouble or in a situation and someone would respond with 'grow up' or 'you need to toughen up' but you were just a kid and so, as a kid, you found yourself having to grow up and having to find mature ways to respond to situations. I guess in some ways it would allow you to be a mature adult but then again you realise that you forget how to be a kid. As you get older you find yourself telling yourself those words rather than letting yourself go through whatever it is you're going through. I guess in some sense it seemed quite unfair because you were just a kid. I would often say these words to myself a lot, especially to something I would consider quite trivial, not allowing myself to process how I'm feeling because of the preconception that my reaction or feelings might be considered childish.

Don't get me wrong, there are so many joys in growing older; experiencing life in its different stages can be really interesting and exciting but I also believe that we should never lose the kid in us. That period of our lives is the shortest but the most carefree. Playing games and laughing with others, doing the things we were interested in without the feeling of being ridiculed. For some reason, that feeling starts to disappear as we get older with I guess with the idea that as you get older you're meant to approach life in all seriousness and any childish tendencies you may have might be considered inappropriate because well, you're an adult. I think it's important to have a balance- knowing when you have to be an adult and take on your responsibilities and knowing when you can allow yourself to be a kid. This is where I believe the idea of embracing your inner child is really important as we grow up. What does it mean to embrace your inner child? Well, it can mean something different for everyone. For me, it means doing things that my younger self would have appreciated, whether that's dancing to nostalgic music or acting silly with my friends. For others, it may mean approaching themselves with more compassion and creating a safe space to feel emotions. It can be difficult trying to navigate the intricacies of life, especially as a young person getting older but I think having that inner child can sometimes make growing up seem less scary.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that growing up can be overwhelming and life moves pretty fast but that doesn't mean we should let go of the child within us. Embracing and healing our inner child can make growing up a little bit easier. By having that playful side of ourselves and practising self-compassion you can remind yourself of the joy of having been young.