Are we at our happiest as children?
in Psychology ·
Angela Cox4 said:And honestly? Even when those kids grow up, I don't see them ever truly finding happiness—it’s hard to grasp the concept of joy when you never actually experienced it growing up. But here’s the real kicker: do they even know how to make someone else happy? How can you give anything back when everything was stripped away from you when you were just a kid? Giving doesn't bring them peace if they've got nothing left inside to offer.
Based on my own experience, I can attest that this isn't always the case (though I am not suggesting it never is).
As a child growing up in a household devoid of harmony, where constant conflict was the norm, I was profoundly unhappy—so much so that it shaped my entire upbringing. It affected my elementary school years, my high school years, and even my ability to form friendships, as I lived in fear that people might discover the private struggles within my family... and it just continued like that.
Eventually, I moved 186 miles far away from home for college, and I experienced a total transformation. I found a new version of myself. I discovered happiness in peace, in silence, in long walks, and in the simple freedom to sit in a park and read a book without the constant pressure of someone hovering over me.
It is precisely because I lacked that sense of happiness early on that I strive to be there for those close to me, to support them, and to show them how much they matter. Everything that was withheld from me as a child, I have made it my mission to build for myself. And I intend to 🙂