Being a grown-up sucks sometimes.  Bills to pay, dishes to clean, a job to go to.  It can all get a bit much after a while.

So what’s the solution to all this adult-world stress?  I find that a little trip back to my childhood often does the trick.  Here are 15 ways you can get in touch with your inner child when you’re sick of being a grown-up.

1. Buy yourself some cutesy, fun pyjamas for lounging in. Grab a pair that’s printed with your favourite Loony Tunes character, or a onesie or kigurumi with a hood for pure comfort and fun.

2. Drink chocolate milk from a huge glass with a straw.  Blow bubbles and slurp loudly if you want to.

3. Build yourself a blanket fort and snuggle up inside with your favourite book or your laptop.

4. Search Youtube for episodes of your favourite childhood television programs.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?  The Raggy Dolls?  Puddle Lane? Monkey?

5. Dig up some of your old jewellery from when you were a kid.  If you’ve gotten rid of all of it, search for kiddie-jewellery in junk stores and op-shops.  Now work them into an otherwise grown-up outfit for a touch of whimsy.

6. Go to the park and play on the swings and slides.  Take a friend with you and have a competition to see who can swing the highest.

7. Buy a massive bag of lollies from the corner store.  Eat them while sitting on your back step.

8. Treat yourself to a bottle of fruity bubble bath. Choose a bottle that smells like strawberries, grape or bubble gum. Run yourself a bath, dump in a dollop and then play with the bubbles.  Make yourself a bubble beard for bonus points.

9. Colour.  When I’m feeling stressed out, colouring always calms me down.  Grab a colouring book and some crayons and go to town!

10. Buy a tub of play-doh.  The smell of play-doh is so nostalgic, and there’s a certain joy that comes from squishing it between your fingers that never gets old.

11. Go rollerblading or ice skating.  Whiz around the rink and pretend you’re flying, or giggle at yourself as you struggle to your feet after falling over (yet again!)

12. Look up some of your favourite childhood toys on ebay.  Marvel at how much some of them are worth and remember how much you enjoyed playing with yours.

13. Play dress-ups.  Put on some music and start trying on random combinations from your wardrobe. The best case scenario: you find an incredible new outfit you’ve never thought of.  The worst case scenario?  You have loads of fun.

14. Call up a friend and talk on the phone.  No, not on skype, on the actual telephone. Bonus points if you use your landline phone (if you’ve got one, that is).

15. Go to an arcade and play pinball.  There’s nothing quite like working out your frustrations by banging those flippers, or the joy you feel when you hear those magic words, “Multi-ball!!!”

How do you revisit your childhood pleasures?