10 Signs That You Had A Troubled Childhood That Made You Fear Rejection

Childhood Emotional Neglect is something many people go through. It's what happens when a child's parents fail to accommodate to the child's emotional needs when raising it.

That's something that can occur in an otherwise loving and caring family. It happens when parents fail to respond to their child. You might not even know it has happened to you because since you can’t see it, your brain doesn’t record it as an event.

As an adult who was emotionally neglected as a child, you'll feel off, like something is not quite right. You'll assume whatever is wrong is your fault, but it isn't. Once you understand the issue, you'll be able to deal with it better and find a solution to help you heal.

Here are ten signs you experienced a troubled childhood due to emotional neglect:

1. You find it hard to have self-discipline.

Even if you believe something is right, you have trouble standing up for it. You have trouble overcoming your weaknesses and you are not quite sure why.

2. You often feel empty.

That can also be a numbness due to past emotional neglect.

3. You can't rely on others.

You feel as though you should never need to depend on others for anything at all. You also struggle with asking for advice or help when you need it.

4. You often want to be on your own.

You like spending time alone because you feel that most people just don’t understand you. You feel like you don’t fit in with others. While you'd love to have true friends, there's not much room for connecting with others in your mind.

5. You seem to be sad from time to time for no obvious reason.

Your unhappy moments aren't because something bad has happened, they merely show up out of nowhere and unannounced. You can't explain this, and it drives you crazy.

6. You have trouble understanding what you’re feeling.

You know you're feeling something and that you shouldn't be feeling it but you don’t know what it is. It's like something prevents you from being happy and overwhelms you.

7. You have no compassion for yourself, but you have plenty of others.

You tend to be much harder on yourself than you would ever be to anyone else. While you may easily forgive other people's mistakes, you don't do the same with yours.

8. You feel flawed.

You feel like something is wrong with your emotions, but you don’t understand what. You think the problem is within you, but it isn't, not really. You haven't done anything wrong.

9. You to love animals more than people.

Animals are much easier for you to get along with and to connect with, as they will never judge you. Animals love you unconditionally. You love that you don't need to worry about your dog talking behind your back.

10. You feel like you're on the outside looking in.

Parents that don’t notice their kids' emotions or simply decide to ignore them are sending a message that their emotions don't matter. As an adult, you still have this harmful habit of not considering your feelings. You're not sure how to deal with them.