 What kind of childhood did you have? Oftentimes when you talk about having a bad or abusive childhood, people will associate it with physical abuse, the kind that leaves marks and bruises. But what about the kind that leaves invisible scars? Childhood emotional neglect is a type of abuse where the child is ignored, not taken seriously, told their feelings don't matter, and treated like they're not even there. This can be a difficult and devastating experience, and it can affect the way you see yourself and others, ruin your relationships, and even impact your emotional and physical health. To learn more about this, here are five signs you've been emotionally neglected in childhood. Number one, you have trouble understanding your emotions. If your feelings were ignored as a child, you never would have learned how to feel and express them in a healthy way. Instead of talking and supporting you, your parents may have ignored you or told you that it's not a big deal. As a result, you may now find it hard to recognize the emotions you feel, let alone express them to others. A research article from 2013 even found that early emotional neglect in childhood played a role in developing alexithymia, which is when you experience difficulties in identifying, decoding, and communicating your own emotional state. After all, if you have difficulty understanding your own emotions, then you'll have a harder time coping and overcoming them as well. Number two, you avoid social situations. The home you grew up in becomes the baseline for the types of relationships you form. In childhood, the time spent with your parents is the time when you learned how to converse, express your emotions and opinions, and have fun with others. So if you experienced neglect, your opportunity to learn how to socialize became neglected as well. A 2019 study showed that growing up without a sensitive and responsive caregiver who provides emotional support and security has negative effects on social functioning. This means as an adult, you may have become afraid of people and will try your best to avoid social gatherings in general. Maybe you feel like you don't know what to do or say, or you're simply afraid that you're going to be rejected by others, just like you used to be when you were a kid. Number three, you have low self-worth. As a child, you are completely dependent on your parents. They're here to teach you not only about the world, but also about yourself. In this way, you end up internalizing your parents' ideas and values and making them your own. So when your parents neglect and ignore you, they're sending you a message that you don't matter. This is where your self-image and self-esteem may have been damaged. And as you grow older, you end up carrying these feelings with you as you go through life. As an adult, you may neglect taking care of yourself due to feelings of inadequacy and feeling like you're not good enough for those around you. Number four, you're trying to please everyone. Children who grew up in emotionally neglected households often had to pay attention to their parents' emotions instead of their own. If you had to constantly make sure to never upset or anger your parents, you may have grown up to become a people pleaser. This can mean being afraid of rejection or abandonment, being preoccupied with what others think and feel, and becoming fearful of saying no because you don't want to appear mean or to hurt others' feelings. But this can take a toll on your mental health, leaving you stuck in relationships where you give more than you take. Overworked because you've taken on too much responsibility or becoming exhausted and burned out from trying to take care of everyone else. And number five, you feel unexplained resentment towards your parents. Sometimes parents are not intentionally neglectful. They may provide a roof above your head, access to education and food on your table, but as much as they're able to provide you with all the material things you need, they may have forgotten that you need love as well. As a result, when you grow up, you may feel unexplained anger or resentment towards them. Maybe you avoid them or never visit them. You may even become confused as to why you feel the way you feel. After all, you can't say they deprived you of basic human needs or abused you, but even if you didn't recognize the emotional neglect they put you through, you may have felt it. You knew something was missing and you still feel it today, even if you're not sure how to explain it. So did you recognize yourself in some of these signs? If so, know that it was never your fault and no matter how hard it is, it is possible to recover. Getting professional help could help you learn about your needs and emotions, gain self-confidence and get your life back on track. If you found this video helpful, be sure to like, subscribe and share it with those who might benefit from it. And don't forget to hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever Psych2Go posts a new video. As always, the references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Thanks so much for watching and see you in our next video.