If you grew up in a home where love felt conditional, emotions were ignored, inconsistent, or dismissed, or you had to be "perfect" to be accepted, it’s understandable that relationships, and even your relationship with yourself, can feel painful and confusing.

You may find yourself struggling with:

• Painful memories from childhood that intrude on your life, making it hard to feel fully present.

• Trusting others feels like a risk. You fear being hurt, betrayed, or abandoned.

• Your emotions feel overwhelming. Sometimes you shut down, other times they erupt in ways you can’t control.

• You carry a deep sense of shame or guilt, feeling like you’re "too much" or "not enough."

• Irritability, mood swings, or anger that seem to come out of nowhere.

• Always being on high alert, feeling anxious, jumpy, or struggling with sleep.

• Relationships feel exhausting. You either push people away or hold on too tightly out of fear of losing them.

• You engage in self-destructive habits or patterns.