Holding The Younger You

Welcome to Day 5 of the Self Belief Challenge here on Insight Timer.

This marks the start of seeing yourself with a little more kindness and a little less doubt.

Each day you'll take a few minutes to remember who you are and what you're capable of.

Let's jump in to today's session.

Welcome back to the October Self Belief Challenge.

You've already begun softening the critic and reframing old stories.

Today we go deeper,

Meeting the younger parts of ourselves who first carried the ache of self-doubt.

Often,

Our current selves are still carrying younger wounds,

Aches,

And hurts that are waiting to be tended to.

We're not always aware of these younger parts of us still asking for our attention,

Which is why carving out space to meet these parts is such a sacred gift.

Meeting our younger parts isn't about fixing,

Bettering,

Or even changing the past.

Instead,

It's about practicing tenderness with the parts of us that need it most.

It's about offering ourselves now what we needed then,

Which becomes a salve for the heart that we can carry with us.

I invite you to gently close your eyes if it feels comfortable,

Or find a soft gaze.

Notice your breath moving inward and outward,

The way your body just knows what to do.

The way you're held by the earth beneath you,

The way you are being supported in this moment.

Stay with the sensation of feeling held and supported.

As you let your breath slow and deepen,

Imagine your younger self in a safe,

Warm place.

Perhaps at a certain age,

In a particular memory,

In a location that evokes an emotion,

Or the version of you that felt alone,

Inadequate,

Or maybe afraid.

What did they look like?

What feelings were present for them?

What were they silently holding inside?

What did they need that they didn't get?

What would it feel like to offer it now?

Notice what it's like to witness your younger self with this curiosity,

This nurturance,

This love.

As you notice,

Imagine your current adult self reaching toward that younger version of you with wide open arms,

The most loving embrace,

A welcoming warmth.

Offer little you the exact words you needed to hear.

Perhaps you are enough.

I'm so sorry you felt so alone.

It wasn't your fault.

There is nothing wrong with you.

It's okay to feel what you feel.

I've got you.

I've got you.

I've got you.

Watch your younger self absorb these words fully,

This nurturance,

This love.

Imagine it seeping into every corner of you,

Every crevice that was once hidden now being filled with an expansive love pouring into the cracks like golden honey.

Notice what it's like to meet these younger parts of you with care,

With compassion,

With kind attention.

Notice what softens in you as you show up so beautifully for your younger self.

Imagine that younger part of you feeling so deeply held,

So seen,

And so relieved to be witnessed in this way,

Like they can finally take a deep breath.

Notice what it's like to choose to show up for this part of you so generously,

So courageously.

You can turn toward these parts of you anytime.

They are always available to receive your own compassion,

Your own loving care,

Your witnessing.

And it's such a gift to be reminded that these parts of you are asking for your own love and that you get to offer it to them anytime you need.

As a way of bridging this inner experience into your life,

You might reflect on this prompt.

If you could offer younger you one thing today,

What would it be?

You can share this reflection in the forum,

In your journal,

Or perhaps with a loved one if you're feeling extra courageous.

Carry your answer close.

Practice it.

Let it change you.

And let yourself return to it as a practice as often as you need.

Tomorrow in Day 6,

You will explore what it's like to not just think about belief,

But to really start feeling it in the body.

Standing taller,

Breathing deeper,

And carrying self-worth in the way you move through the world.

Thank you so much for showing up for yourself in this way.

I'm so grateful to be able to share with you.

And may you move tenderly as you continue tending to your own beautiful heart.

Take such good care.