What does it mean to nurture your inner child?
For me, it means learning to give myself some of the things I may have needed when I was younger—and recognizing that the little girl I once was is still a part of who I am today.
Sometimes we grow up and become so focused on being strong, responsible, dependable, and there for everyone else that we forget about the little person inside of us who also needs love, attention, comfort, and reassurance.
Nurturing my inner child means giving myself permission to feel.
It means reminding myself that I don't always have to be strong.
It means allowing myself to laugh, play, rest, dream, and enjoy the simple things without feeling guilty.
It means speaking to myself with kindness instead of criticizing myself for the things I didn't know or couldn't control.
And sometimes, it means looking back at the little girl I was and saying:
“I see you. I hear you. I love you. And I'm going to take care of you.”
As I continue on this journey of self-love, I'm realizing that healing isn't always about changing who I am.
Sometimes it's about learning to love all the versions of me that helped me get here.
The little girl.
The young woman.
The woman I am today.
They all deserve compassion.
They all deserve grace.
They all deserve love.
Today, I'm choosing to nurture my inner child—not by staying stuck in the past, but by bringing more tenderness, joy, and compassion into my present.
Because sometimes the love we've been searching for is the love we have the opportunity to give ourselves.
And today, I'm giving it freely.
Today, I love myself a little more gently.