Is Your Cup Empty or Overflowing?

Who should consider an Inner Child Date?

Anyone who may be feeling burnt out, stuck, stagnant, resentful of responsibilities, blocked creatively, time challenged, over-worked, over-burdened, and/or stressed out to name a few.

We are all creative beings. We are all powerful beings. Our power is great! We can use that power to create or destroy.

Our number one priority is to take care of ourselves. We must fill our own cup to overflowing and then serve from the saucer. We take care of others from our overflow. Service is its own reward. When we let others drink from our cup, or we allow our cup to dry out we will get resentful.

It is imperative we know what fills our cup. This is where the Inner Child Date™ comes into play. When we take the time to allow that little child inside of us to run the show we refuel, we get inspired, we fill our cup.

The “rules” around the Inner Child Date™ are as follows:

Once a week for 2-3 hours engage in an activity selected by the little child inside of you. There is no multitasking. If you go for a walk and you have a dog, you do not walk the dog. This activity is done by yourself and for yourself only. For twelve consecutive weeks the activities must be unique. At the end of twelve weeks reflect on which activities refueled you the most. These dates should be a top priority and treated as if they are the most important event scheduled on your calendar with the most important person. Do not cancel a date with your inner child.

Overcome Dating Anxiety

Here are some ideas for low-cost to no-cost Inner Child Dates:

Draw with crayons.
Make paper airplanes and fly them.
Spend time in nature – beach, mountains, river.
Lie on grass and look at the sky. Do you see animals in the clouds?
Take a train ride.
Make a fort with blankets.
Dress up your pet.
Go to the beach.
Go bike riding.
Make a sandcastle.
Go to a park (my favorite is swinging on the swings).
Send postcards to friends.
Make a collage.
Visit a museum.
Go to the bookstore, hang out and read in the children’s book section.
Make a list of 50 things you love.
Go to an aquarium.
Visit an amusement park.
Go to a petting zoo.
Buy balloons.
Write a story about your pet.
Compliment strangers.
Make a lemonade stand.
Go ice-skating.
Go roller-skating.
Play solitaire.
Take a pottery class.
Sing in the shower.
Take a dance class.
Sing into your hairbrush and dance around the living room.
Buy “lucky socks.”
Drink a chocolate malt.
Wear a fake tattoo.
Make jello.
Dress up for no reason.
List 100 people you love.
Read a joke book.
Put glow-in-the-dark stars on your bedroom ceiling.

Write a letter to Santa Claus.
Buy and complete a puzzle.
Watch The Wizard of Oz.
Dress up like a Rock Star.
Write a love letter to yourself.
Visit a sacred space.
Make a card for someone you love.
Write a thank you note.
Speak in rhyme or pig-latin.
Paint with watercolors.
Make hand shadows.
Make a sock puppet and create a character.
Buy a goldfish.
Make a mask.
Dress like you’re going to a masquerade ball.
Make a book of quotes from your friends.
Look at your old photo albums.
Go to a toy store.
Buy a squirt gun and squirt things on a walk.
Go fly a kite.
Collect beautiful leaves.
Bake homemade cookies.

About the authors

Love Coaches Orna and Matthew Walters

Orna and Matthew Walters are soulmate coaches and prolific writers about love. Finding love, keeping love, healing from heartbreak, bringing in your beloved and more. They have been published on MSN, Yahoo!, YourTango, Redbook, and have been featured guest experts on BRAVO’s THE MILLIONAIRE MATCHMAKER with Patti Stanger, and as guests with Esther Perel speaking about love and intimacy.

Suggested Reading