Chest anxiety – when your inner child is crying out

Anxiety in my chest gave me a hard time — I’ll never forget it. In both cases of my severe depression, at 20 and again at 29, the torment began with that same feeling — a strange pressure on my chest right after waking up. The first time, in my twenties, I had no idea what it was. The second time, nine years later, I already knew. Then came the intense migraines, suicidal thoughts, and many other symptoms.

In both cases, the path to healing was different — a different process, a different lesson. Each time it came to show me something new, to teach me something I hadn’t yet understood. Illness doesn’t come overnight, even if it seems that way. And it’s not a punishment. We simply can’t see that in the moment, because pain overshadows everything.

Like every other illness, it comes to stop us — to show us that we’re not going in the right direction in life. When we begin to understand the signs, the body’s messages, and the symbolism through which God, our higher self, or our soul communicates with us, and when we start working on ourselves, making necessary changes, and forgiving from the heart — that’s the way out of anxiety.

Have you ever asked yourself how the word “úzkosť” (anxiety) came to be? We usually don’t think about such things. No, it has nothing to do with a bone, even though anxiety cuts right to the bone. When someone has anxiety, they’re in a tight spot. And now we need to ask the right question. Not “why do I have it,” which is the question of someone who pities themselves, but “who is in a tight spot?”

Try closing your eyes and ask yourself this question, then wait for the answer. Maybe an image, a thought, a sensation will come. In the first few seconds, intuition always sends an answer. Yes — the one in a tight spot is your inner child.

When I realized this and connected with my inner child for the first time, I found it crouched in a corner, in the dark, afraid, literally in a tight spot. Your inner child is you when you were little. Little Adamko, Peťko, Michal; little Miška, Kristínka, Angelika. We just grew up too fast and forgot about them.

Anxiety = we moved from the heart to the mind. From childhood to adulthood.

There is no such thing as hyperactivity. It’s connection — a child is in the source, living in the heart, drawing from the unlimited energy we all have. Because a child isn’t burdened by all the outside information, fears, sadness, anger the way an adult is, there’s no reason for it to be numbed. Society (kindergartens, schools, etc.) gradually takes care of disconnecting the child from the source and plugging it into thinking.

That’s why we adults are so often frowning, drained of energy, smiles, life, and joy. The little child was disconnected from the source.

Now read the following lines, then close your eyes and try to connect with the child yourself:

“Close your eyes. When your eyes are closed, the surroundings don’t distract you and your gaze turns inward. Imagine yourself as you looked when you were a small child. It may take a while — that’s okay. Use your imagination. Maybe you only remember yourself from a photo. It’s all right. Something has appeared.

Do you see yourself? Where are you? Outside? Inside? What are you doing?

Go to the child in your imagination. Greet them (I use ‘them’ meaning the inner child). Did they greet you back? Crouch down beside them (don’t look down on a child — not even in real life). A child is much wiser than an adult. How are they reacting? Don’t try to get close at all costs. You have to go slowly and carefully. Notice how they respond to you. Did they greet you? Where are they looking?”

Now, the essential question: ask your inner child if they know you. Some people I’ve guided through this process of reconnecting with their inner child (their heart) found that their child didn’t recognize them. That’s how deeply disconnected they were — and often, these were people struggling with serious health issues. How did your child respond? Do they know you? Or do they not recognize you? If they don’t, gently tell them that you are them — just grown up.

The point is to reestablish the connection. To reunite. Don’t treat this as a strict guide — it’s your inner child, let yourself be led. You know best how to speak with them. Whether they know you or not, calmly tell them who you are and why you’ve come.

Apologize for not being there for so long. For not realizing how important it is to stay connected. When you ask a question, your child will answer. As I’ve written before, it might come as a thought, a feeling, or an image — everyone experiences it differently. Ask them for forgiveness for losing touch.

Ask if you can hug them. If they agree, embrace them in your imagination. (Never hug a child without permission — it’s not a possession or a toy.) For a deeper experience, hold a pillow while imagining it’s them. How does it feel to hold them? Do you feel like crying? Don’t hold it back. Let it out — it will cleanse you. Thank them for allowing it. You’ve just reconnected with your heart.

You’ve taken the first step — a very important first step.

Now forgive yourself, too — for ignoring them and being disconnected for so long. Once you finish embracing, ask your child what they need. What they want to do. Who they want to be. What they tell you are the changes you need to start making in your life — and that’s the hardest work of all. It takes courage to let go and step out of your comfort zone.

Maybe you’ve been working for years in a job you only do for money. Maybe you live with someone who drains your energy. Maybe you’ve stopped playing, exploring, or doing things that bring you joy. Whatever it is — find it within yourself and start making changes.

Some people aren’t even aware of this. Others know, but still don’t act — as the saying goes, old habits die hard. When you discover what your inner child, your heart (which is, by the way, located right where you feel that chest anxiety), really needs — start taking action. End the visualization by imagining that your inner child merges with you through the heart. You can then open your eyes. Stand up slowly, and drink a glass of clean water.

I write about this in more detail in my book How to Heal Yourself, which I’m currently raising funds to publish in 2025.

Here, I’ve summarized it as briefly as possible — though this is probably the longest article I’ve ever written. But it couldn’t be shorter. I had to go through so much before I could fully heal and write about it so openly.

Our heart — our intuition — holds every answer to every question. But often, there’s so much pain, suppression, and anger piled on top that they cover up all those answers trying to reach us. We can’t hear them because we’re wrapped up like an onion — layer upon layer. And as we peel away those layers, the burdens that once disconnected us from ourselves begin to fall away.

Anxiety = we need to move from the mind back into the heart.

Why do you think many elderly people are like children again? Life naturally brings them back there. But we don’t have to wait that long or go through so much pain. We can start right now.

I’m rooting for all of you who choose to take that inner journey and start looking for answers within yourselves. It may be a long road, but it’s absolutely worth it. It will change you — and as you begin to see how much you’ve grown and how far you’ve come, you’ll start to see illness as a gift.

Because through it, you were able to reconnect with your inner child — with your heart — which has always been guiding you on your path to healing.