- [Amanda Silvera] There
has been a huge decline in mental health around the world, which is why we're so committed
to creating more content than we ever have. Thanks for being a part of our journey. Do you think you grew up
in a healthy environment? Your childhood is supposed
to be the time of joy, happiness and growth where you learn about the
world through your experiences, with your parents and
the people around you. But unfortunately, some
people don't experience the blessing of living
in a happy household. If you were neglected or abused as a kid, you probably suffer the
consequences of it to this day without knowing how toxic
your situation really was. You may have come to believe that it's just how families work and bring your learned
feelings of shame, fear, and sadness into adulthood. To learn more about this, here are five signs you
had a traumatic childhood. Number one, childless reactions. How do you cope with stress? While children cry and throw tantrums to relieve their frustrations, it would be a bit odd to see an adult angrily stomp their feet in the middle of a long
and boring meeting. This is why adults need
to handle their problems in a different, more mature way. But if you've suffered trauma as a child, you might find yourself
drifting off to simpler times when life gets too hard to handle. This is called age regression, a coping mechanism in which your behavior
temporarily reverses to earlier stages of development. So when faced with stress, you
may turn to using baby talk, throwing tantrums, rocking,
or pacing to soothe yourself or using dolls or stuffed
animals for support. Some extreme cases of age
regression can include crying in a fetal position or bedwetting. Number two, insecure attachment. In psychology, the theory
of attachment refers to how our ideas about
relationships are learned through our interactions with
our parents or caregivers. Growing up with a secure attachment meant that your parents had fulfilled your needs when you were a baby and you gained a positive self-image and learned to trust those around you. But with an insecure attachment, your caregivers may have been
so unresponsive or neglectful that your brain decided that
others could not be trusted. And you ended up developing
a negative self-image, which can follow you into adulthood. As a result, you may struggle to form or maintain close relationships because you experience intense
feelings of abandonment or the fear of commitment. Number three, conflict avoidance. Were you allowed to stand up for yourself when you felt you needed to, or did your parents always just dismiss your thoughts and ideas? Growing up in a dismissive or overly critical environment
could have taught you to expect negative reactions
from the people around you and cause you to be
afraid of confrontation. Whether it's with your
partner, family member, work colleague, or friend, you may find that you can't
really voice your opinions and will always let them
have things their way. Even when things upset you, you may just choose to change the topic, pretend you're okay, or even force yourself to stay in an uncomfortable situation just so you don't have
to disappoint anyone. Number four, low self-worth. Did your parents praise
you for your achievements, or did they brush them off
like they didn't happen? Were they gentle with their criticisms, or did they humiliate you
when you did something wrong? If you were constantly criticized
for everything you did, no matter how small or
insignificant it was, you may come to believe
that you're worthless and can't do anything right. These feelings may continue into adulthood where even if you were
told you did a good job, you still think it wasn't
done right or well enough. It's as if you're never
good enough for others or for yourself and live in a constant state of anxiety, wondering what others think of you or whether they approve of you or not. In number five, risky behavior. Lastly, another possible
sign of childhood trauma is if you engage in lots of risky behavior. Risky behavior describes any behavior with an uncertain risk, whether binge drinking, taking drugs, reckless driving, and so on. Studies have shown that
exposure to traumatic events and the development of PTSD
symptoms can make you seek these behaviors more frequently. Also seeking risk may be
a maladaptive strategy to help you overcome all those negative
feelings you experienced when you were a child. Even if you don't see it as a big deal, risking your life and health is certainly a cause for concern. Do you think you had
a traumatic childhood, let us know in the comments below. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe,
and share this video with those who might benefit from it. And don't forget to hit
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like to go post a new video. The references and studies
used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks for watching and
see you in the next one.
