Who is driving the vehicle?
If you have been to any of my classes or workshops you have heard me describe the human body as the vehicle that drives us through our human experience in this lifetime. The human body is what houses the Spirit and Soul.
We are made up of many things; including but not limited to a variety of emotions, physical matter, masculine and feminine energies and an adult version and child version of ourselves.
If you can separate out the adult and child side of you, I am sure you can list ways in which you show up as the adult (responsible, logical, neutral) and ways in which you show up as the child (playful, emotional, overwhelmed).
So often in life we allow our inner child to drive the car when it should be the adult driving. We all know that allowing a child to drive a car is reckless and unsafe.
How do you know when you are letting your inner child drive your experience? It appears as if it's the ego, and maybe part of it is as children are very egotistical by nature; as they should be because it serves as a survival tactic.
Take a moment to identify your inner child. How does your inner child show up? When are you playful? When are you demanding? When are you sensitive or emotional?
When a child is overwhelmed, they are reactive; when our inner child is driving we may react in ways of sudden outbursts of anger, frustration, crying, yelling, or the opposite, being aloof and avoiding responsibilities.
Take a moment to identify when your adult shows up? When are times that you are confident and logical, calm and neutral? Maybe it's when you are paying your bills, planning a vacation, or giving a friend advice.
Our inner adult is one who is calm, centered, and logical. Think of your best adult role model; their strength, sense of warmth and safety, their dignity and how they carry themselves and operate in the world.
I invite you to check in throughout your day at who is driving the vehicle as you interact with others and yourself.
It is not a child’s responsibility to drive (care for a home, work, make big decisions, have grown up conversations, etc.) and when a child is doing the work of an adult, they become overwhelmed and may have temper tantrums.
Are you constantly allowing your inner child to drive and thus resulting in burnout and fatigue?
What “adult work” has your inner child been taking on and can you remind that child that this is not the place for them and that it is safe to go and play and allow the grown up version of you to step in? Don't forget to make time to play as well and let that inner child run free and be silly!
