6 Signs You Need To Heal Your Inner Child

what happened in the past stays in the past right well not for our inner child as an adult you may still struggle with the pain of past traumatic experiences that happened long ago they manifest as wounds influencing your thoughts and actions your inner child carries your childhood experiences emotions and beliefs when your inner child is neglected you see Dr IC effects in your adult life so are you carrying a wounded inner child let's find out number one distracted Behavior distracted or avoidant behavior can be common in individuals with unresolved childhood trauma when you experience trauma in your early years it can affect your ability to focus concentrate and stay present in the moment engaging in activities like substance abuse excessive shopping or workaholism are risky and unhealthy ways we escape and numb painful feelings associated with childhood trauma they distract us so we don't have to deal with them by keeping busy you avoid situations or thoughts that could potentially trigger distressing memories or emotions associated with your trauma deep breathing exercises and focusing on sensory experiences can help break these Cycles number two lots of guilt I'm wrong everything is my fault other people are suffering because of me childhood trauma goes hand inand with guilt if you feel the need to constantly apologize even when you haven't done anything wrong that's a sign that your inner child may be ridden with guilt if your primary caregivers has made you feel guilty about the cost or effort of raising you it perhaps convinced you that you were to blame in addition when emotional or physical needs go unmet during childhood you may blame yourself for not deserving care and attention experiences of bullying rejection or social exclusion from your peers as a kid may also lead to feelings of guilt for not fitting in as a result you have difficulty accepting yourself you struggle with low self-esteem and constantly seek validation from others understanding that this guilt originated from external influences can help you separated it from your true self number three eager to please do you feel that your only worth lies in making others happy if your sense of self-worth is tied to the happiness of others it's a sign that your inner child has been possibly conditioned into being a people pleaser you need to make others happy trauma responses are commonly categorized as fight flight or freeze a fourth less disgusted response to early trauma is called fawning or people pleasing individuals who respond to trauma with fawning or people pleasing tend to seek safety by merging with the best wishes needs and demands of others Basher describes this as doing whatever it takes to avoid conflict including abandoning your own needs and going out of your way to receive approval your inner child may need reassurance and unconditional love to break away from this pattern sharing your thoughts and feeling feelings can lead to deeper and more authentic connections with those around you number four the perfect Pursuit perfectionism is linked to Childhood drama childhood scars may cause you to chase Perfection relentlessly everything you do needs to be perfect from dressing and cooking to your work ethic you simply have to be perfect and even when everything is perfect something is always missing as a child all you needed was love and support growing up with highly critical parents may have forced you to meet their exceedingly high standards in order for you to feel approved and so you learn perfectionism as a coping mechanism to help relieve the defectiveness internalized during childhood you are driven by an underlying motivation to be better than others to avoid rejection says University of Rochester psychologist Andrew Elliot overachieving becomes a way for you to gain external validation and prove your worthiness number five speaking up for yourself when you're small it's common to feel your opinion does not matter or is unnecessary when you were ridiculed or yelled at for speaking up as a child it can be challenging to advocate for your needs as an adult Wellness expert Dr Susan balias explains when you spend a lot of your life around unsafe people there are situations where staying silent may be seen as adaptive such as when ensuring personal safety or avoiding conflict however it's essential to find a balance between knowing when to speak up and when to stay silent in different situations and number six self-sabotage okay picture this you have always dreamed of pursuing a career in art but whenever you're on the verge of submitting your artwork for an exhibition you start doubting your ability so you don't do it a child who is violated particularly by a person of trust may look at the world as unsafe and view themselves as undeserving of good things in life leading to self-sabotage childhood trauma can create a fear of success and the associated responsibilities or expectations that come with it so you self-sabotage your own achievements to avoid the potential pressure or judgment that success may bring you actively seek to fall back into the familiar Embrace of failure this can manifest itself self-sabotaging behaviors such as procrastination perfectionism or undermining one's own efforts reparenting your inner child involves giving yourself the unconditional love and support you needed in your early years by becoming the nurturing protective parent your inner child needs you can foster personal growth and self-improvement addressing unresolved emotional wounds from your past can help create a more balanced and empowered present working with a therapist is also invaluable to help cope with your inner child wounds can you relate to these signs let us know below and if you found this video helpful please give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more for more related content you can check out our video on five things your wounded inner child needs to hear right now until next time thanks for being here and thanks for not giving up on yourself