November 27, 2023
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Written By - Ravi Shankar (GoodMindKeeping)
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Recognizing the signs of a true lack of emotional support during childhood can be a tricky task.
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For these signs are often subtle, and show up in ways that we gloss over or dismiss.
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Acknowledging when emotional support has been lacking during adolescent years is an essential step towards healing and personal development.
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1. Difficulty Expressing Emotions
One of the signs of a lack of emotional support during childhood is a struggle with expressing emotions.
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2. Feeling Lonely
Breaking through this loneliness is also challenging, but as ever, acknowledgement is a big and brave first step towards building more fulfilling relationships.
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3. Overly Self-Critical
Children who lack emotional support from their parents often grow up to be adults who set unattainably high standards for themselves.
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4. Trust Issues
If you lack this emotional support, you might find it challenging to trust others.
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5. Difficulty Accepting Love and Thinking Yourself Unworthy
A lack of these as a child can lead to an adult who thinks themselves undeserving of love.
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6. Constantly Seeking Validation
Children who grew up in an absence of love can grow to become reliant on emotional reassurance and validation.
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7. A Fear of Abandonment
Finding it difficult to express your love and tell those that you do love how much you appreciate them often comes hand in hand with a crippling fear.
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8. Difficulty Forming Close Relationships
Alongside the struggles with trusting and with opening up, comes the difficulty in getting vulnerable at all.
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9. Isolation (Despite the Loneliness)
One of the most significant signs of an emotionally unsupported childhood is the tendency to self-isolate.
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The tendency to point fingers at parents and call them absent or even narcissist is more topical in today's world, although this is not exactly a healthy approach.
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Recognizing the signs of absent parents is not about pointing fingers or dwelling in the past. Neither of these will help you as an adult.