It is so difficult to have severely special needs children that can't be seen by someone just looking at them. It isn't easy being a trauma mama suffering with secondary trauma and secondary PTSD, because that too is not seen by looking at me. If you don't live it. You can't possibly understand.
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The Traumatic Effects That Emotional Abuse in Childhood Can Have On Adults
When we think of childhood, we may think of playgrounds and memories filled with happiness and learning. But not everybody gets to receive this type of upbringing. Some children can experience exploitation or manipulation at the hand of their parents, alongside other detrimental behaviors such as neglect or verbal abuse. For many, emotional abuse as a child can alter their lives as they grow up into adults.
Although it is harder to observe from the outside than physical abuse, the lingering effects of emotional abuse on adults are glaring. Since children who experience emotional abuse are at an age where they are still growing and learning about themselves, the long-lasting impacts can be devastating. Those who have suffered this type of abuse may encounter issues trying to hold relationships later in life and may have physical or mental health issues.
Due to childhood trauma, you were never taught how to properly express your feelings and are unable to comprehend them in a healthy manner. You may likely bottle up your emotions because of your inability to properly convey them. You likely subdue your anger, hide your sadness, and don’t know how to say no when you are uneasy about something, leading to outbursts from holding in these emotions for so long.
Victims of emotional abuse in childhood have often been taught that they are always doing something wrong. This can lead to fears of the same nature during adulthood. You may feel that everything you do is not good enough, or you are going to upset those around you by saying or doing something wrong. You may also feel the need to incessantly apologize to your peers about all of your actions, even though you have not done anything wrong.
Emotional abuse can have devastating effects on an adult’s mental health. Those who have experienced abuse are more likely to develop depression or anxiety and panic attacks, along with a host of other issues related to mental health. Your inability to ask for help when you need it paired with an inability to comprehend emotions, all stemming from your childhood trauma, can lead to feelings of isolation and silent suffering.
Those who have been mistreated as a child often grow up believing it was their fault. If you were repeatedly insulted and critiqued unfairly as a child, you will lack confidence in yourself as an adult both inside and out. These self-esteem issues can manifest in a hatred of your own physical appearance and also as a lack of confidence in yourself to participate in public speaking or even a lack of basic social skills.
Because of your drama-filled upbringing, you look for any way to run away from conflict as an adult. Due to you avoiding any type of disagreement or dispute, you may find yourself being walked all over from your peers when you can’t say no or stand up for yourself. It also leads to long-term consequences, as problems will never really be solved but end up being ignored and will persist in your life.
Your trust in others is completely broken because growing up, those who you were supposed to be able to trust the most betrayed you. The emotional abuse leads to a complete inability to trust anyone around you, even those with good intentions. This lack of faith and certainty leads to an inability to hold relationships, whether they be romantic, friendship, or between co-workers.
The emotional abuse you suffered as a child causes you to have an above average stress level. The stress can exhibit itself into physical symptoms such as persistent fatigue, chronic headaches, or even diabetes and other health problems. Many of those who have experienced childhood abuse are tempted to use alcohol or drugs to mask the memories and run away from their problems, which can eventually turn into addiction problems.
Suffering abuse as a child is never the fault of the victim. It is completely normal for you to notice lasting effects of the abuse later on in life, manifesting in any of the above ways. You may even notice other devastating effects that abuse has had on you. Possibilities for a new beginning and happiness are still out there, and it is never too late or in vain to ask for help from a friend or a mental health professional to get your life on track after being a victim of abuse.
