People who were constantly told they were "too much" as children now display these 8 behaviors in every adult relationship without realizing they're still apologizing for existing - Silicon Canals

"If these phrases hit a nerve, you might be one of the millions who grew up being told you were "too much." Too loud, too sensitive, too intense, and too everything. I spent years thinking I'd outgrown those childhood criticisms. Then, after a particularly brutal breakup, I found myself in therapy unpacking why every relationship felt like I was walking on eggshells. Turns out, I'd become an expert at apologizing for my own existence without even realizing it."

"The thing about being labeled "too much" as a kid is that it morphs into subtle behaviors that seep into every interaction, every relationship, and every connection you try to make. You think you've moved on, but your nervous system remembers. Here are eight behaviors that people who were constantly criticized for being "too much" often display in their adult relationships, usually without any awareness they're still trying to make themselves smaller:"

Children repeatedly told they were 'too much' internalize criticism and adapt survival strategies that persist into adulthood. These adaptations include minimizing expression, chronic apologizing, and anxious hyper-vigilance in relationships, producing sensations of walking on eggshells. Emotional memories encoded in the nervous system drive behaviors such as over-explaining feelings, offering excessive justification for choices, and pre-emptive self-defense. Relationship interactions often trigger a compulsion to make oneself smaller to avoid conflict or rejection. Healing requires recognition of these habitual patterns and relearning permission to occupy space without apology.

Read at Silicon Canals