9 Ways to Self-Parent

Self-parenting is the way to fill unmet needs from childhood and build a strong sense of self-esteem and self-worth. It provides new experiences designed to create long-lasting changes in you brain. These changes lead to more effective and satisfying behavior, which in turn lead to better outcomes in your life.

Last week, we looked at some of the ways good parents nurture children, and used them as models for ways we can be good parents to ourselves. This week, we will examine more qualities and functions of the inner parent.

9 Next Steps for the Inner Parent

1. Accept and acknowledge your Inner Child’s feelings and create emotional boundaries:

Children have to learn what feelings are, how to name them and how to express them. Parents and other caretakers teach children about feelings by giving those names to them without judgment.

In this way, we learn how to understand our feelings and how to use them. The purpose of feelings is to give information so we can make decisions about what is happening to us.