The childhood years are so important for healthy development – children need to feel safe, need to be able to trust caregivers, and need consistent and predictable care. As you probably know, a rough childhood can lead to tough times as an adult, and getting past the past is not always easy. Here are some signs that you may have some childhood trauma that you just haven’t processed yet.
Is Your Childhood Still Affecting You?
It is possible that you don’t even realize the effect your childhood trauma is still having on your life – or maybe you have taken steps to deal with it, but some of the trauma has remained and you don’t even know it. Remaining trauma may manifest as:
- Self-sabotage. This can include neglecting your health, which can range from simply not eating as well as you should to abusing drugs or alcohol. Self-sabotaging behavior can arise when you don’t believe you are worthy of being taken care of or you just don’t know how to emotionally or physically care for yourself because you didn’t learn these skills as a child.
- Control issues. Adults with control issues may have grown up feeling helpless and vulnerable. They may have had a caregiver who was overly controlling, but control issues can also come from a childhood where the child was left to fend for him- or herself. Attempting to control everything as an adult is a way of maintaining a sense of order or a way to try to control anxiety and fear.
- Unexplained psychological problems. These can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood swings, depression, anxiety, or irritability. These problems can be severe or mild and you can have more than one issue at a time. They can be all the more confusing because you may be peaceful and calm one moment and sad, angry, and anxious the next.
You can’t change your past, but you can find ways to cope with it. The staff at Wasatch Crest in Heber, Utah, wants to help you find ways to deal with past trauma that are healthy and allow you to grow. If you need help, call (800) 385-3507 today.
