Can You Be Happy After Having Lived Through A Traumatic Childhood?
Not everyone has had a happy childhood. Unfortunately, some people also had to go through difficult and sometimes overwhelming experiences that somehow left a deep mark inside them capable of permeating various areas of their lives. In childhood, part of the threads of our psychological life are woven. Therefore, it is worth asking ourselves, can you be happy after having lived a traumatic childhood?
It is not an appreciation, but a verified fact. It is very difficult to be happy after having lived a traumatic childhood, but not impossible. This is because during the first years of life we are particularly emotionally sensitive . As we have said, experiences leave a deep mark. Both the positive and the negative imprint an indelible stamp on our lives.
The child is a highly vulnerable being. It depends on the adults and the primary environment in which it is found. He does not have the physical or psychological resources to understand and process what he experiences. He easily oversizes it, or distorts it, feeling sad or overwhelmed by circumstances.
The effects of a traumatic childhood
Different forms of child abuse or maltreatment leave an imprint that has long-term consequences. In that we cannot be deceived. However, this does not mean that it is not possible to be happy after having lived through a traumatic childhood. What it does involve is doing a lot of extra work to get there.
Childhood traumas turn into difficulties in living peacefully in adult life. Self-love is damaged and so is self-confidence. Sometimes it is almost impossible to love, or to let them love us. It is even possible that it is not even possible to express feelings or consciously feel pain.
It is also common for a feeling of discomfort, disappointment or sadness to develop. Against this backdrop, it is difficult to build and sustain a positive attitude. Now, against all that you have to fight to be happy after having lived a traumatic childhood.
How to be happy after having lived a traumatic childhood?
Those traces of the past may not completely disappear. The good news is that by doing a proper job it is possible to be happy, despite the echo of those childhood sufferings, which will hardly have total consolation. In fact, overcoming that painful past is something that usually results in more evolved, sensitive and constructive people.
There are some key actions to achieving happiness after a traumatic childhood. They are as follows:
- Inform you about the effects of trauma. It helps a lot that you inform yourself, through serious sources, about the nature and consequences of childhood trauma. All that information gives you clarity and helps you understand what you feel.
- Take care and protect yourself. It is very common that someone who had a difficult childhood tends to downplay self-care and self-protection. Don’t let this happen. Take care of yourself physically, psychologically and socially. Treat yourself like someone who needs protection.
- Cultivate good friendships. Bearing a traumatic imprint often leads to isolation and difficulty relating to others. Fight this. Cultivate friendships and give them an important place in your life. Do not isolate yourself.
- Stay away from people who hurt you. You should not be tolerant of those who make you feel bad or generate negative feelings towards yourself. As soon as someone like that shows up in your life, walk away.
- Recognize and reinterpret your past. Avoiding thinking about what happened to you does not help to dilute that. Quite the opposite. The best thing is to review everything that happened from an attitude of acceptance and understanding.
Get over the past
In cases of childhood trauma, it is advisable to seek professional help. As strong and intelligent as we are, nothing can replace the effect of good therapy. Having the professional support of a third party facilitates that path towards understanding and inner balance.
Having gone through a difficult childhood gives rise to a different perspective on life. This can be a deficiency or a plus. It all depends on the way you approach and manage it.
It is not easy to find the motivation to undertake the task of repairing a painful past. However, it is worth doing because it is derived from growing on a personal level to achieve well-being.
