What is a childhood coping method you unknowingly developed only to realize later that it wasn't normal?

  • Maladaptive daydreaming is definitely one. Whenever the parents would fight, I’d usually just try to escape to a nice little daydream but it got to a point where I’d do it even outside of those times and now I’m here. I’d even get emotionally invested in the daydreams, and I caught myself on multiple occasions actually talking out loud, though thankfully never in front of anyone.

  • I also kinda overshare a bit, and while I’ve never been called out for it, I get self-conscious about it afterwards.

  • I also do the foot tapping thing when I’m anxious/excited/stressed, and I’ve noticed I’ve started rocking back and forth sometimes too. Don’t know what started either of those, but yeah.

  • Self-deprecating jokes and jokes about killing myself aren’t quite as frequent as they used to be, but are still there.

  • Never wanting to tell anyone if something was actually wrong/bothering me, or if I needed help. Don’t want to feel like a burden.

/r/AskReddit Thread