 Psych2Go is a digital media organization that raises mental health awareness by presenting psychological topics in a digestible and relatable manner. Please share our content with those who need it. It's a great way to support us as well. Trauma is difficult to deal with, whether it's emotional, mental, physical, or sexual. You go through life believing you have overcome it, only to exhibit unhealthy behaviors as an adult. If you're not careful, you will stick to these behaviors for the rest of your life unless you confront the past head on. By allowing yourself to feel, expressing your emotions, processing them, and then letting them go. It's okay to look back, but don't stay there. The following is a list of behaviors adults have after going through childhood trauma. 1. Becoming overwhelmed by fear. You believe playing it safely is the best option. Convincing yourself with lies. The problem here is that you're preventing yourself from living fully and pursuing your dreams. 2. Becoming passive aggressive. Trauma has taught you to defend yourself by going around the problem instead of confronting it. You repress your emotions in anger. In time, all those bottled up emotions start to slowly come out. Some of you may think you're avoiding negativity. And in fact, you're avoiding your emotions. 3. Overprotecting yourself. You believe that everyone in your life will eventually betray you in one way or another. This prevents you from having fulfilling relationships because you're starving yourself from true connection. Just because you've been hurt in the past by people doesn't mean that everyone has ill intentions. 4. Self-fictimization. When a person becomes used to being the victim, it becomes part of their identity. It's been ingrained in their mind and sadly embracing this identity will affect all aspects of their life. It doesn't allow you to move forward. You're not a victim, you're a survivor. 5. Preparing for problems. You unconsciously believe the same problem will reemerge even though the traumatic event happened long ago. Living like this prevents you from being present and truly having fun with your loved ones. 6. Forgetting big chunks of your life. An upbringing full of trauma can lead you to forget moments of your life. It's called lacking out. You may have a hard time remembering what happened and it can be distressing when people remember things that you can't. But there are methods of therapy that may be able to help you remember if or when you're ready. 7. Feeling incomplete. Those of you who have been through severe trauma end up feeling as if a part of you is missing. Trauma can leave you feeling disconnected with life. It's a survival mechanism, a sort of disassociation. To survive, you build yourself a character or story that you thrive on, making it difficult for you to discover who you truly are. 8. Being attracted to unhealthy situations. Sometimes you unconsciously look for people who have the same traits as your abuser or abusers, therefore you may end up in a relationship or situation that is eerily similar to your past experience. This doesn't mean that you're looking for trouble, it's just your brain's way of attaching itself to similar circumstances. 9. Looking for external validation. Growing up in an abusive household can leave you feeling insecure. Trauma can impact you in such a way that as an adult you look for other people's validation, such as your boss' approval or likes from friends on social media. You're just yearning to feel wanted. It's difficult to move forward in life after experiencing childhood trauma. Keep in mind you don't have to continue living that way. Talk to a close friend or family member, ask for help and guidance. Overcoming trauma isn't going to happen in a day, but I can assure you, fighting for a better life is worth it and it is possible. Do you relate to these points? If so, let me know in the comment section down below.