Why your inner child is a key piece of the happiness puzzle
Life is too short to be taken so seriously. There is too much darkness in the world. With recessions, covid, the cost of living crisis, house prices for first time buyers, the whole world is a bit of a shitshow. And while I am not trying to put any of those very important topics on the backburner, I am conscious that in my journey to try and build a happier, healthier sense of self, I need to start somewhere.
That somewhere, and something that I believe is a major key to happiness, is to embrace your inner child.
Those are the times you allow yourself to be genuinely immature, child-like, free from the stress and demands of adulthood, and just to have fun. This type of energy and freedom allows our brains to produce serotonin, also known as ‘The Happy Hormone’. Examples include when you walk down the toy isle of the warehouse and pick up a lightsaber and have a mock battle, when you do a massive jump into a swimming pool making a huge splash, or when you’re hurtling down the luge in Rotorua trying to beat your opponent to the finish line.
This kind of ‘inner-child’ behaviour, and the serotonin boost that comes with it, doesn’t just allow you to have fun and feel free. Serotonin also staves of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and can improve overall health. By embracing this type of behaviour, and actively seeking it, we can increase our levels of serotonin, and as a by-product, our overall happiness.
Just this week, I was with my brother and partner walking down to the beach, and we walked through the park - the first thing my brother and I do is jump onto the merry-go-round. Suddenly i’m laughing, he’s laughing, and as a result we both get a great boost of those feel-good, happy hormones that we need.
In another recent example, I ventured down to Hanmer Springs last year for my annual family weekend getaway trip, and to our total surprise, we got SNOW! Now, snow elicits two types of behaviour in people. Those who sit inside and complain about the weather, and those who get a sparkle in their eye, excitement in their veins, throw on a jacket and some boots, and go have a snowball fight! I, as you can probably guess, am the later. It took all of three minutes before we were throwing snowballs at each other - grown adults all of us in our twenties I might add - and it was the most fun I had in about two years (god damn covid sucking the fun out of life). My point is, don’t be the person who sits inside, get out, have some fun, and embrace your inner child!
This particular blog entry has been on my mind for a couple of weeks, and as I was thinking about how to write it, it has been making me take a mental note of when things like this happen. I’m almost more aware of it happening, and more actively seeking it. I’m beginning to be more mindful of the situations that come up, and more present and grateful for them. Maybe this is me stumbling on the whole point of this blogging exercise?
Until next time,
M xx