The scars of your childhood can accompany you somehow in adulthood. If someone asks you if you were emotionally neglected or neglected as a child, your immediate answer would be "no!". But if you dig a little further, you will understand that your behavior as an adult has much to do with your childhood experiences. As painful as it is to look back, the emotional neglect of childhood could be the reason behind your actions today.
The emotional neglect of the child is part of the maltreatment registry, characterized by parents' lack of attention to the child's need, lack of empathy, emotional distance, and emotional absence from the child . All this neglect has dramatic consequences on the emotional and relational development of the child, who can follow him as an adult.
Here are 6 signs that you were emotionally neglected when you were a child:
1. You feel insensitive
Feeling insensitive is something that can happen from time to time. It is not a physical sensation, it is an emotional sensation. From time to time, you feel insensitive to everything that is going on around you. You realize that you should feel some emotion, but nothing really seems to be important to you. This type of emotional response is a sign that you have been emotionally overlooked as a child. You learned at an early age to stifle your emotions so as not to be hurt.
2. You refuse the help of others
If you were emotionally neglected as a child, often you had no help when you needed it most. You were constantly alone. This feeling can follow you into adulthood. You've learned to never depend on someone else, so even if you're in trouble, you refuse to ask for help from others.
3. You have poor self-esteem
Poor self-esteem can be related to many things, including being emotionally neglected as a child. When you were little, you may have thought that you do not deserve the time or love of your parents because they have never given you much attention. Although this is wrong, it can be difficult to get rid of this feeling. This can result in poor self-esteem and devaluation throughout your adult life.
4. You feel a void
If you were emotionally overlooked as a child, you always feel like you're missing something. There is a void within you that you leave open for the love of another person. Basically, you believe that filling this space will finally bring you joy. This is not always true, because in this unbridled race to fill this void, you can come across people who are malicious and toxic to your well-being, who can harm you rather than heal you.
5. You are a perfectionist
When a child is neglected, he can try everything to attract the attention of his loved ones. If you have been seeking this attention all your life, you could become a perfectionist. You try to be perfect in everything you do, in order to be finally noticed and appreciated.
6. You are sensitive to rejection
Are you sensitive to rejection? Being afraid of rejection in your adult life is a sign of rejection in the past. Being emotionally neglected during childhood can create an inner fear in you that can follow you being an adult. Even constructive criticism hurts you, because you feel you are being attacked and you are told that you are not good enough.
Tips:
The child's good emotional development requires stable, stable and secure parents with whom the child develops a selective bond. Parents must be able to understand their physical, psychic and emotional needs. When the child retains a secure image of his or her parents, the child gains a sense of self-confidence and confidence in others, allowing him / her to develop better in physical, emotional, and relational growth.
Repairing emotional damage must be done through an awareness of loving and accepting oneself. Love what you are, what you do, and how you are. Accept yourself as you are, and refuse the debasing and demeaning ideas of yourself. Open up to others and have confidence in themselves and in yourself.