Sometimes the daily grind of life makes you feel like a hamster running on a motorized exercise wheel with no off switch. At work, you have to act like a serious adult, and at home you've got to deal with all those grown up responsibilities of paying your bills, taking care of your kids, eating right, maintaining your health and staying fit, cleaning, shopping . . . it seems there's no end to the pressures and duties of adulthood. How can you find the time and energy to nurture your inner child?

First, you may have to discover who your inner child is. In some cases, we've gotten ourselves into such a deep rut of work and routine activities we perform on autopilot that we can't remember what it's like to enjoy life and live in the moment. These are essential qualities of a healthy inner child. We may have to shake things up a bit to reawaken the sleeping child within.

But don't confuse an active inner child with behaving like a child. Simply shirking your responsibilities, acting like a self-centered kid when people are depending on you, or losing your mental balance in a self-destructive midlife crisis are not the same as having an active inner child. Your healthy inner child doesn't want to destroy your life - she wants to enrich and enliven it.

To me, the inner child is what gives us a youthful outlook and prevents us from becoming rigid and set in our ways. The inner child is creative, open-minded, and fun-loving (but not irresponsible). If you have a boringly routine or high-stress job, you can keep your inner child alive with a creative hobby - even starting a journal or blog. Sometimes what starts out as a creative outlet can become so absorbing and rewarding it turns into a full-time occupation; Julie in Julie and Julia, for example, turned her little personal project of trying all of Julia Child's recipes into a popular blog, best-selling book, and major film.

Try something new and different every now and then. Be a little silly, or abandon your diet and occasionally indulge in something horribly bad for you that you love. You don't need to be a perfectly responsible adult 24/7.

Having pets is a major responsibility, but it can also be a great outlet for your childlike self. You can talk to your pets, and they almost never laugh at your ridiculous ideas and comments. Your pets will usually be very receptive to your silly playful moods and eager to engage in a bit of frivolous fun with you any time - except maybe mealtime and nap times, which most pets take very seriously.

I think the key to keeping your inner child alive and kicking is to look at life as a perpetual learning experience. The child within you is thirsty for new ways of looking at the world, new ideas, developing new skills, sparking your imagination. Learning is fun, stimulating, and rejuvenating. You're never too old to be a student of life - and never too old to be a child at heart.

Learn more about this author, Dorothy Hoffman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Your Inner Child?
We want to hear your view. Write now!