š¶āš«ļø What it means to have grown up with no safe adult to turn to for emotional support
Growing up without a safe adult meant you were emotionally homelessāno lap to crawl into, no voice that said "I've got you" when your world fell apart.
You may have learned that your first instinct was to hide your hurtsādeveloping a reflex of "Don't bother asking. They'll just make it your fault." You became fluent in reading others' moods while remaining completely disconnected from your own emotional needs. Your feelings and needs were ignored or dismissed so often that you learned they simply didn't matter. No one was there when you needed comfort, so you stopped expecting it.
You may have developed incredible self-reliance, becoming someone who can handle crises without falling apart, but this came at the cost of connection to your inner world. Around others, you minimize your emotions, having learned early that your feelings will either be ignored or create uncomfortable situations. When someone shows genuine interest in your feelings now, you may feel both drawn to and suspicious of their attentionāit's unfamiliar territory that feels too good to be true.