Many people dismiss or minimize their experiences because they compare them to stories of severe abuse, violence, or neglect. While those experiences are undeniably traumatic, trauma is not a competition. The reality is that many adults struggle with anxiety, people-pleasing, perfectionism, relationship challenges, and low self-worth because of experiences they do not believe are significant enough to count as trauma.

Trauma is not always about a single event. Sometimes trauma develops slowly over time through emotionally unhealthy environments, chronic stress, criticism, unpredictability, emotional neglect, or constantly feeling unsafe emotionally.