How Does Reparenting Yourself Ease Anxiety?
We live in an uncertain world, and anxiety feeds on uncertainty. We worry about our performance at work and our relationships at home — and many of our best attempts to plan for the future are stymied by events beyond our control. Some people have the benefit of a strong foundation. When life gets difficult, they look back at their childhood and hear the words of a parent or caregiver who counseled them through tough times.
Others aren’t so lucky. For them, the uncertainty they face as adults is a continuation of the uncertainty they faced as children. No one taught them how to manage those feelings of anxiety and let them pass — instead, they learned to lean on it as a survival mechanism.
In today’s article, we’ll explore how reparenting yourself can help ease your anxiety.
What is Reparenting?
Our childhood wounds don’t always heal in the way you might expect. The traumas of our childhood play out in a myriad of different ways as we enter adulthood. Reparenting is a way of getting in touch with your inner child and caring for them so that you can heal those old wounds that have never fully closed. There are a number of techniques that are central to reparenting, including:
- Positive self-talk.
- Exploring childhood interests.
- Practicing self-kindness.
- Acknowledging emotions.
- Supporting your child-self through old memories.
In the simplest terms, reparenting is grounded in the idea that our behaviors as adults are grounded in the traumas and pain of our childhood. Reparenting asks us to care for ourselves the way we would care for our children — to function as our own protector, caregiver, provider, and friend. To give ourselves kindness and sympathy when we fail at a task or need a word of encouragement.
It works by:
- Identifying your inner child’s needs & traumas.
- Offering your inner child encouragement & love.
- Actively prioritizing your inner child’s needs.
- Challenging negative beliefs about yourself that you learned as a child.
How Can Reparenting Help with Anxiety?
Reparenting can help with anxiety by teaching you to trust in your own capacity to care for and protect yourself in a healthy, loving way. By engaging with yourself with the same love and kindness that any child deserves, you can learn a new sense of self-worth and learn to put life’s problems into perspective.
Anxiety breeds feelings of doubt, self-loathing, and insecurity. Many hold a secret belief they’re unworthy of love or success. They feel they are a failure. Reparenting encourages us to love ourselves unconditionally, accept our flaws gracefully, and embrace our agency and power.
When we know we are loved, our fears seem smaller. Anxiety feeds on uncertainty and encourages us to look for certainty and control. By learning to prioritize and care for yourself, you can establish a newfound sense of safety that you may have been denied as a child. When we begin reparenting our inner child, it’s possible to acknowledge that we can’t control everything happening in the world. Accordingly, reparenting teaches us to accept our limits and focus on the things we can control: how we treat ourselves and others, as well as our capacity to care for ourselves.
Reparenting teaches us to manage our emotions by allowing us to see the core of us as the unruly child it sometimes is. It gives us distance, perspective, and calm.
Schedule a Consultation
If you’re interested in learning more about the process of reparenting, reach out today. We would love to discuss how reparenting can help you tame the anxious beast inside you. Reparenting is particularly effective at treating anxiety, but its benefits are far-ranging. Let’s explore whether or not reparenting is right for you.
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