Hidden habits of people who experienced childhood trauma

From apologising constantly to pretending to be happy, here are a few habits of people with childhood trauma.

When we are brought up in dysfunctional homes, we develop behavioral patterns that are harmful and can affect our adult relationships. "Have you ever wondered why your actions and thoughts sometimes seem incomprehensible, as if they belong to someone else entirely? Growing up in a dysfunctional family or experiencing childhood trauma can embed deep-seated patterns within us, hidden from our conscious awareness. This can create a sense of mystery, leaving us feeling frightened and out of control, often resorting to destructive behaviors to avoid confronting these hidden truths.," wrote therapist Emmylou Antonieth Seaman.

Childhood trauma can affect our coping skills since we grow up employing poor coping skills to fight or flight through chaos and conflict. "In such environments, our ability to cope and make sound decisions is naturally impaired. As young children, we learn primarily through observation and imitation, absorbing the dynamics around us. This can lead to poor coping skills and a lack of understanding regarding our own behaviors. It becomes a challenging task to trust ourselves when we don't even comprehend the reasons behind our actions or the timing of our emotional shifts," the Therapist added.

Here are a few hidden habits of people with childhood trauma:

Shutting down: When faced with a confrontation or a disagreement, we tend to shut down or withdraw completely.

Laughing: We try to not make people uncomfortable around us, and hence we laugh and smile and pretend to be happy even when we are hurt.

Low confidence: We think that others are better off taking decisions and that we are not capable enough. Hence, we let them override our decisions and think that their decisions are better than ours.

Cut people out: When faced with a difficulty, we focus on cutting the person out of life rather than addressing the issue.

Apologising: When we are brought up in dysfunctional homes, we learn to walk on eggshells to avoid conflict. Hence, we are always apologising to not offend someone.