Hi!
Welcome to this short talk and reflection on using voice recordings as a way to connect to your inner child.
Today we're going to revisit a memory of ourselves as a child.
Whatever age first jumps out at you,
That's the one I recommend starting with.
If you're feeling stuck,
Try looking through some old photos or simply let your mind pull up whatever version of you wants to be seen today.
Once you have a mental image of yourself at a particular age,
I want you to gently ask,
What brought me pure joy as a child?
This prompt came from a personal experience I had recently.
I was watching my son complete a marathon and as he crossed the finish line,
I was overcome with such strong joy that I literally couldn't stand still.
I found myself jumping up and down like a little kid.
It was so big,
So physical,
And honestly,
It felt a little foreign.
Later,
I kept thinking about that feeling.
I wondered,
When was the last time I felt that kind of joy?
And then my next thought was,
Did I experience pure joy like that as a child?
So instead of journaling in the usual way,
I pulled out my phone,
Opened a voice memo,
And recorded a conversation.
Adult me speaking to child me,
Asking that very question.
And almost immediately,
I remembered my darling moment from grade school.
I had received a special gift over the weekend,
A set of scented cabbage patch pencils.
I was so excited to bring them to school and share them with my classmates.
I remember beaming with joy as they wrote and drew with them,
Soaking in their excitement as if it was my own.
But the next morning,
Imagine my surprise when they weren't in my backpack.
And even more confusing,
Across the table from me,
Darlene pulled out the same exact pencils and announced that her mom had given them to her the day before.
I looked at her,
Shocked,
And said,
Wait,
Those are mine.
And without missing a beat,
She looked me dead in the eyes and said,
Nope,
These are mine.
I can still remember that feeling.
Reflecting on that moment during my voice memo,
I made an unexpected and powerful realization.
That might have been the day joy stopped feeling fully safe.
The day I may have learned to be on high alert.
The day I learned that when you open your heart to share something joyful,
Someone might just take it from you and lie about it.
It wasn't until I listened back to that recording that I realized how deeply that moment may have shaped me.
That my childlike sense of safety,
Of wonder,
Maybe even of trust,
Cracked a little that day.
And although my recording brought up a lot of sadness,
It also gave me the opportunity to offer myself some much needed compassion.
There was something really powerful about hearing my adult voice speak directly to that child who had her joy stolen that day.
And to my surprise,
After all these years,
I found myself crying as I recorded it.
Listening back to that was just so incredibly moving.
I told little me that I was sorry that happened,
That she didn't deserve it,
That it's okay that it still hurts,
And that she doesn't need to feel embarrassed by that pain.
It was such a pure moment,
Both the memory itself and the realization of how significant it was.
That innocent joy had been stolen,
And I realized I never had fully processed it.
But in recording that voice memo,
I allowed myself to recognize something even deeper,
That maybe I'd been letting people steal my joy too easily ever since.
That recording opened the door to a whole new level of self-compassion.
It reminded me how much I want to reconnect with that feeling of pure,
Unfiltered joy,
And it helped me to commit to doing that.
Not just through inner child work,
But also through simple journal prompts,
Creativity,
Or moments of mindful reflection.
So now,
I invite you to try this for yourself.
Now,
I know it might feel a little silly or intimidating to try this.
Go through it slowly.
Think about it for a couple of days.
Spend some time looking through old photos,
Or just sit quietly and let a version of your younger self rise to the surface.
You may be surprised at what comes up.
Let them come to you.
Whoever wants to be seen or heard today.
And when you feel ready,
Hit record.
This voice memo is just for you.
Be free with it.
It might feel awkward or even silly at first,
But stay with it.
You might be surprised by what comes through when you really speak from the heart to that little you.
And hey,
If it feels too silly afterwards,
It's yours.
You can do whatever you want with it.
You can delete it.
You can do it over.
Or when you're done,
You can choose to listen to it right away and go through the feelings that you want to go through.
Or tuck it away and return to it when you're ready.
Go gently.
Be proud of yourself for showing up,
For being curious,
For trying something new,
For offering yourself the compassion,
Patience,
And love that you so deeply deserve.
Take care.
