Inner Child vs. Inner Adult

Boost Your PFC to Rein in Your Inner Child and Boost Conscientiousness

This information is designed to help you win the war in your head between the adult, thoughtful part of your brain (the PFC), which knows that you should do, and your pleasure, which are run by a spoiled, demanding inner child who always wants what he wants whenever he wants it.

Your brain's pleasure centers are always looking for a good time:

• They want to jump off a cliff.
• They love going fast on a motorcycle in the rain.
• They crave the ice cream.
• They want the double cheeseburgers.
• They will stand in line for the fresh cinnamon rolls.
• They focus on having the second piece of cake.

Left unchecked, your inner child is often whispering to you like a naughty little friend:

• “Do it now...”
• “It's okay...”
• “We deserve it...”
• “Come on, let's have some fun...”
• “You're so upright...”
• “Live a little...”
• “We already had one bowl of ice cream. Just one more won't hurt...”
• “We'll behave better tomorrow. I promise...”

Without adult supervision, your inner child lives only in the moment and he can ruin your life. I have a friend who shared her daughter-in-law got sick with the flu and had to remain in bed upstairs. Her four-year-old son decided to “take over” the house while his mother was otherwise occupied with a pounding headache, fever, and vomiting. When his father came home, there was ice cream melting in puddles on the kitchen countertop; the pots and pans were arranged in a pyramid formation in the middle of the floor; cartoons were blaring on TV at full volume; and clothes, toys, and blankets (made into tents and forts) were strewn everywhere. Absolute anarchy and chaos This is a great visual of what happens to your life when your PFC is not functioning: Your inner child takes over while your inner adult is napping. The resulting mess is something to behold.

To balance your pleasure centers, and tame your inner child, the PFC helps you think about what you do before you do it. It thinks about your future, not just about what you want in the moment. Instead of thinking about the chocolate cake, it is the rational voice in your head that helps you:

• Avoid having a big belly.
• Remember that “food is medicine” and that you'll be in a sugar-induced, cranky, sleepy mood an hour after eating that cake.
• Remind your inner child of delicious but healthier alternatives that will both taste good and nourish your body.
• Be concerned about your bulging medical bills.
• Say “no” and meant it.

When your PFC is strong, it reins in your inner child, so that you can have a fun, passionate, meaningful life but in a thoughtful life, measured, conscientious way. To live a long healthy life, it s critical to strengthen your PFC and put your inner child into time-out whenever he acts up.

It is also critical to watch your internal dialogue and be a good parent to yourself. Dr. Daniel G. Amen have taught parenting classes for many years and the two rods that embody good parenting, even for your inner child, are “firm” and “kind”. When you make a mistake with food or with your health, look for ways to learn from your mistakes but in a loving way.

(Use Your Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., excerpt).

Inner Child and Inner Adult. Photo by Elena.