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Raising a kid in a healthy environment is a progressive step towards a brighter future. But not all parents can provide their little ones with an uplifting upbringing. Instead, they pass on their emotional unavailability, anxiety, and toxic mentality to their kids, who unintentionally and unfortunately become a victim of toxic parenting. Although they might not see instant behavioral changes while growing up, most of them develop a very negative attitude or demotivated personality later on in life. As a result, they begin to judge themselves, experience helplessness, and struggle in social interactions.
Well, in this article, we’ll take you through a few signs showing your upbringing in a toxic environment and how it reflects your personality.
1. Anxiety Is Your Buddy
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Children raised in toxic environments often feel like anxiety lives in their heads all the time. So no matter how hard they try to concentrate on their studies or anything else, they’ll always be thinking about the result, which will be a never-ending cycle. It’s like the feeling of stage fright but throughout the day. One cannot blame their negative thinking because this personality is highly influenced by the toxic and distressing situations they encountered during childhood, making them so restless and worried.
2. You Don’t Express Yourself
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Parents who don’t listen or care about what their children have to say or think about ultimately become antisocial and introverted. But this act doesn’t make their children talk less. Instead, they learn to hide their emotions, struggles, pain, and even small achievements. Neglecting feelings harms a child’s sense of self-identity. They struggle to comprehend their identities, emotions, and life goals. As a result, they cannot grow personally in the areas of life that are significant to them.
3. You Don’t Like To Be In Your Skin
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If a child is not loved or appreciated enough by their parents during childhood, they will eventually start hating themselves. As a result, they develop low self-esteem and may not even like seeing themselves in the mirror. Moreover, if the parents are abusive, their confidence and self-identity will be damaged. And all of these mental tolls lead to anxiety and depression. (1)
4. You Are Bad At Maintaining Relationships
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Bonding is tricky for people who had a toxic upbringing. They develop their view of relationships due to frequently witnessing and suffering emotional trauma, exploitation, and abandonment. Such people might not realize what forms a loving and positive emotional connection. They constantly anticipate that someone around them will let them down so they tend to exaggerate, be unreasonable, or accuse them of anything.
5. You Try To Blame Yourself
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If you try to blame yourself for everything, it can be a consequence of how you were raised. Kids with toxic parents frequently believe they are to fault for anything that goes south. This is because they were continually made aware of their errors and how they led to other issues. In addition, physical and verbal abuse can destroy one’s courage and self, which may lead to one becoming very self-critical.
6. You Fear Failure More Than Anything
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Some families are toxic because they never let their kids make bad decisions. Even for adults, their pursuit of perfection is impossible. Therefore, the children of these selfish parents fear failure and cannot handle it. They constantly push themselves to succeed and excel in almost everything, but if they fall short, they will feel guilty and criticize themselves.
7. You Don’t Feel Proud Of Yourself
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A child with low self-esteem, raised in a toxic environment, feels foolish, worthless, and incapable of receiving better treatment. These kids doubt themselves, second guess themselves, and criticize everything they do. They suffer emotionally because they have come to terms with being inferior to others, but they cannot alter this because they lack the necessary help and support.
8. You Don’t Feel Hopeful About Anything
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Some toxic families refuse to accept their kids as a grownup. These parents would attempt to treat their children as though they were helpless babies no matter how old they got. If they find any barrier to their attempts to control and order, they will seem hurt, making their kid feel terrible and guilty. A child’s mental health may suffer if they are not given the freedom to make choices, have their personal life violated, or don’t feel like an adult. As a result, they may become anxious, have startle fear, and fail to adapt to society.
Nobody wants their kid to be less hopeful, unwanted, or anxious. Their actions and words are only to assist kids in developing and succeeding. Their constant pressure might have helped you excel at your exams, but to be honest, it did more harm than good. Hopefully, you’ll find yourself or someone else who feels relatable to these signs of being a part of a toxic family. Either way, finding a counselor to cope with childhood trauma and improve your overall well-being is always necessary.
