 Hey psych-to-goers and welcome back to our channel. How was your childhood like? And what was your relationship like with your parents? The relationship between a child and their parents does a lot to shape a child's life even after they've entered adulthood. So here are six signs that you might have a toxic childhood. One, you live in fear. Oftentimes toxic families display authority through fear. Do your parents yell excessively, threaten, or even use violence to get their point across? Too much of this removes the security blanket around you and causes fear to take over your mind. Whether it's a fear of messing up, saying the wrong thing, being ridiculed, or anything else. Letting fear guide your life is not a healthy way to live. According to Smutigag from Pinwheel Place, excessive childhood fear has a range of effects on the brain, such as added stress, a higher chance of depression, and even the potential development of a learning disability in some cases. Two, you've lost your sense of self. Do you feel a sense of belonging when you're together with your family, or do you feel emotionally disconnected with them? Belonging is so important because humans are social by nature. When people feel they belong, they may be more likely to take healthy risks, grow, and figure out who they are with a strong support system. However, without a feeling of belonging, people may lose their sense of self and have a hard time finding their place in the world. Without a sense of self, it's hard to develop confidence and security within yourself. Three, you have a hard time believing in love. Are your parents always fighting? When children witness constant fighting between their parents or abuse from one parent to another, they begin to realize that their parents might not actually love each other. It's hard to restore that belief in love when you've grown up seeing time and time again how attainable it seems. This can also result in trust issues in relationships and friendships. Whether your childhood consisted of a toxic relationship between parents or between parents and children, the effect is the same. The lack of security and protection in your childhood makes it harder for you to trust others later in life. Four, you're quick to blame yourself when things go wrong. A lot of toxicity is rooted in manipulation. Have you been unfairly blamed often as a child? If so, there's a chance that you feel like your experiences, even the household you grew up in, are your fault. This feeling can definitely carry over into adult relationships. If you're used to excessively blaming yourself, you may find yourself carrying more burdens, blame, and guilt than you should. If you feel that way, we want to let you know that no part of what you went through was your fault. As a child, you cannot control the environment around you. Five, you have a hard time managing your emotions. Do you lash out onto others easily, or do you feel numb when thinking about your childhood? Do you find emotional conversations tough to deal with? A toxic childhood is certainly traumatic and can bring out an overwhelming amount of emotions. Complex emotions at any age are hard to deal with, and as a child, they can be especially difficult. According to Peg Streep from Psychology Today, the common coping mechanism for all of these emotions is to push them aside. You might find it hard to connect with all of the emotions that were thrown at you at such a young age. And number six, you're very self-critical. How do you talk to yourself? Are you kind and understanding, or are you critical and unforgiving? One of the biggest signs of childhood toxicity is negative self-talk. This could be due to the low self-esteem you may have developed during a toxic childhood. If you grew up with parents who are overly critical of you, this can alter the perception of yourself that lasts through adulthood. If you find yourself in this situation, remember that these thoughts are just distortions. They come from a lack of positive regard during some of the most critical years of your development and are not a reflection on who you are or your worth. Did you relate to any of these signs? If so, what do you plan to do next? Let us know in the comments below. If you relate to this video, please know that what has happened to you in your childhood is not your fault, and you deserve to be loved, happy, and cared for. If you found this video helpful, don't forget to like and share this video with someone who might benefit from it. Also, remember to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2Go videos. And as always, thanks for watching. We'll see you soon.