How childhood affects adulthood?

Hi, thanks for reaching out to us at BetterHelp. My name is Stacey Shine, and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I read over your question and think that I can provide some insight for you.

You asked the question of how childhood affects adulthood. I think this is a very loaded question as everyone is different. However, I think overall; childhood has a drastic impact on adults. Typically, behaviors in a family can be generational. This means the behaviors you have and how you respond to situations are often modeled to you. For example, if your parents did not speak about their emotions, it would not be surprising if you grew up and had the same type of actions where this is not something you are comfortable with. Speaking about emotions was not modeled to you, and therefore can be difficult to know how to express them.  Typically, people continue generational things because that was modeled behavior, and that is all they know.  There are also times when it can be recognized that behavior was not healthy, and you can use your experience from childhood to change things in adulthood.  Childhood sets a foundation for you emotionally and mentally. As you grow up, this continues to build upon itself. It is often seen in parenting, relationships, and the workplace. The things that you take in as a child ultimately come back out in adulthood. This is also why it is important to figure out what you do not want to pass on from your childhood when parenting to break generational cycles and parent more healthily. Childhood and the impacts on adulthood are very common topics in therapy. It impacts every area of your life and is helpful to process how some things from childhood are either helpful or hurtful to your life as an adult.

I hope this was helpful for you and see how maybe your childhood has impacted you as an adult. Reach out to us if you feel like this is a conversation you want to continue in counseling.