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Self‑Love: Reparent Your Inner Child to Radiate Peace
Watercolor typography hero image with indigo background, headline Self-Love First. Be Peace., subline Reparent your inner child one kind breath at a time, and a hand-drawn white oval highlighting SELF-LOVE, styled for a spiritual wellness blog about reparenting the inner child and radiating peace.

Self‑Love Is Not Selfish: Re‑parent Your Inner Child to Radiate Peace

I knew “being peace” was real the moment I read Kumari Mullin’s story. She walked into a home where two rescued street dogs had never trusted anyone new. They came right to her, licked her hands, and later slept at her feet. She said, “I am not doing anything, but I am being peace and being safe. I’m being secure. My vibration says you don’t have to be in reaction mode, defensive mode, or fear mode.” The animals felt it and relaxed immediately .

Karen Lee Cohen’s Let’s Be Peace: 20 Unique Paths to Healing Yourself and Spreading Peace in the World carries a simple promise: when we create peace inside, we naturally spread peace—one person at a time. She invites us to trust our intuition, use practical tools, and keep what works. Her steady drumbeat: love and trust yourself; you are your own best doctor .

Why Self‑Love Comes First

Peace begins with self‑acceptance. The book’s contributors say to focus on self‑love and replace old beliefs like “I am not enough” or “I am unlovable” with truths that heal. Self‑love has nothing to do with being egocentric. It’s the ability to love ourselves unconditionally—strengths and weaknesses included. When we meet our inner child with compassion and bring that child to a safe place to relax and grow, we stop chasing approval outside and treat others with more respect. We become free from dependency on outer love because we give ourselves the love we need, in the way we need it .

Peace isn’t the absence of big feelings; it’s the wisdom to hear what they’re saying. Fear can show us where our inner child needs safety; anger can teach us about healthy boundaries. As we understand these messages, we move into our “spiritual heart,” where hurting others no longer makes sense because we feel our deep connection with all that is .

Re‑parenting: From Waiting for Rescue to Owning Your Care

Kellee Ratzlaff describes the needed shift: “It is reparenting ourselves so that we are giving ourselves the gift of healing that wounded inner child that we all carry.” We offer ourselves a compassionate, non‑judging space when we’re triggered, and we choose not to react from the wound. This is how we step out of “waiting to be rescued,” claim our maturity, and own our spiritual identity. It’s not instant, but it’s liberating .

Susan Kennard points to inner‑child healing as a starting place on the path to purpose. After grounding into the heart, she suggests doing the deeper work of releasing childhood perceptions that no longer serve us. As those soften, life opens and our mission steps forward more clearly .

A Five‑Minute Re‑parenting Script (Use It Anytime)

Kellee reminds us we can find five minutes—even in a busy day—to care for ourselves. Try this simple flow drawn from the book’s practices:

  1. Breathe to arrive. Use a simple count, such as 4-7-8: inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8. Let your awareness rest in your heart space. This is part of Karen’s core toolset for creating calm from the inside out . She also uses the words Let’s Be Peace as her counting tool. I.E. One, Let’s Be Peace, Two Let’s Be Peace, Three Let’s Be Peace, Four Let’s Be Peace.
  2. Offer compassionate witness. Hand on heart, tell yourself: I’m here with you. I see you. You don’t have to protect me now. This mirrors the invitation to hold a non‑judging space for yourself when you’re in your wounding .
  3. Meet your inner child. Picture the younger you who feels scared, angry, or small. Bring this child to a safe place and let them rest under your protection. Learning to “turn to the inner child” and take it under our protection is one of the most beneficial ways to grow into a loving, mature adult .
  4. Cleanse with forgiveness. If helpful, repeat the four lines of ho’oponopono: “I am sorry. Please forgive me. I Thank you and I love you" (in any order) This simple practice frees what is tight inside without asking you to agree with harm. The more we forgive ourselves and others, the freer we are .
  5. Choose one loving action. Ask: What would feel kind right now? A quiet cup of tea, a few lines in a journal, or simply two more minutes of breathing. Kellee’s three big paths make it simple: “Number one, focus on self‑love. Number two, start to create space to cultivate that. Number three, be compassionate with yourself.” Even five minutes counts .

What Steady Change Looks Like

As you repeat these small steps, your choices shift—kinder thoughts, gentler words, clearer boundaries. The more you nurture your heart, the more your outer world reflects that peace back to you. New people and patterns that amplify wellness appear; those that pull you away fall away. This isn’t a quick fix. It’s “a journey, a commitment to becoming an expression of love—in all areas of your life.” Keep going, even when it’s hard. You’re building something that lasts .

Evergreen Tools You Can Return to for Years

Karen’s simple, repeatable practices stay useful across seasons of life:

  • Breathe with easy counts like 4‑4‑4‑4 or 4‑7‑8 to find your still point.
  • Ask your gut for guidance and trust the answer you feel.
  • Forgive yourself and others to move on.
  • Name your gratitudes morning and night.
    These tools are meant to be personalized and used often .

Because we grow, Karen also invites regular check‑ins with your intuition. There’s no one‑size‑fits‑all. Try a modality; if it stops feeling right, adjust. Love and trust yourself.. Set a simple rhythm—monthly or quarterly—to see what’s working and what needs to change. Keep listening to your inner wisdom as your guide .

Your Peace Helps Others Breathe

Think back to the dogs at the door. They felt peace and chose trust. People sense the same. When you re‑parent your inner child and give yourself the love you once hunted for outside, you become a safe place. Calm travels. This is how Karen Lee Cohen’s vision unfolds: by each of us being peace inside, we quietly help heal the world—one person at a time .

If you take one thing from Let’s Be Peace: 20 Unique Paths to Healing Yourself and Spreading Peace in the World, let it be this: love and trust yourself. Offer compassionate witness to the part of you that still hurts. Bring that child to safety, again and again. Then watch your life—and the lives you touch—soften and align. What could change today if you gave yourself those five minutes?