Chronic tension
Trauma originating outside the body, meaning physical abuse, causes a person’s brain to activate the fight-or-flight response. Stress hormones like cortisol flood the body, which readies to defend itself.
During this period, our body automatically tenses up. The trouble is that tension doesn’t always go away once the threat is removed.
In this case, the brain’s neural networks maintains a state of hypervigilance, acting as if the threat remains and preparing the body to be on alert at all times.
Perfectionism or overachiever
Children who grow up in environments that are emotionally neglectful have a tendency to flourish under pressure. But these family trauma survivors are also inclined to be perfectionists. And they usually demand it from others as well.
