Guided Journal Episode: Reclaiming Play & Your Inner Child

At some point, we stopped finger-painting and started filing taxes, and honestly? That feels like a questionable trade. There was a time when you could lose hours inventing dance routines, narrating Barbie soap operas, or building elaborate stick forts like you were auditioning for post-apocalyptic HGTV. That wasn’t wasted time. That was you, unfiltered- before the productivity cult showed up and scheduled joy for “maybe Saturday.”

In today’s guided journal episode of Shrink Wrapped, we’re reconnecting with play, creativity, and the parts of you that existed before adulthood convinced you that fun was optional and rest had to be earned.

Today’s journal prompt is:
“Think back to when you were a child. What activities or hobbies made you lose track of time? How can you incorporate those passions into your adult life?”

This episode gently guides you through reflecting on childhood joy, curiosity, and creativity- not to romanticize the past, but to remember what lights you up when no one is watching or evaluating your output. We’ll explore how play supports mental health, nervous system regulation, and emotional resilience, and why reclaiming joy as an adult is not frivolous, it’s restorative.

If your calendar looks like Tetris, your hobbies live on the back burner, and joy keeps getting postponed until you’re less tired (spoiler: that day never comes), this episode offers a softer reset. Grab your journal, find a quiet spot, and let’s revisit who you were before the world told you who to be.

You can email questions in to [email protected] and I'm going to compile them all into a bonus episode with your questions and my answers!

Join us on the O'Neil Counseling app here: ⁠https://www.oneilcounseling.com/app-landing-page