littlespace?

[luks]

not sure if i've ever heard this talked about before but its something i've been dealing with for maybe 7 years since i was 19. sometimes when i'm overloaded/overstimulated with too much stress and anxiety i revert back to a younger self mentally. i'll usually just lay in bed with all my stuffed animals and watch cartoons or grab my coloring book. most of the food i get at the grocery store is kids food, which makes me feel really self conscious when checking out.

i don't know why i do it. it's like some weird compulsion that gives me a sense of safety, almost as if im taking care of my inner child and not my current self. i don't feel like i've mentally progressed past age 12, and i still feel like that little kid most of the time. i know some people deal with this but it's really difficult to talk about because i don't want people to think that i'm some kind of freak. it's hard to control these feelings. idk. i'm kinda crying while typing this out im sorry if i don't make sense.

does anyone else feel like this?

 

[sorrowful]

You make perfect sense, don't worry about that. I think that it can be healthy, as it's healing your inner child in a way, or bringing them back in times when you need it. I don't see anything wrong with this kind of coping mechanism, and I believe it's quite common. Sometimes I feel like my mind reverts back as well, and I enjoy engaging in childhood activities now and again, mainly watching cartoons or like you, laying with a stuffed animal. So it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Much love.

 

[HighFlight]

Did you have a good childhood with pleasant memories? Even if you didn't, just the familiarity of those things can be comforting. My adult child still has their stuff animals from when they were a toddler, and sleeps with them and takes them when we travel. IMO, this is a mechanism to help deal with stressful situations.

Four decades later, I still fall back to routines I used when I was a teenager. They help to keep some stability in my life. I buy the adult coloring books now (the ones with all the curse words). Life was much simpler when I was 12, but I've yet found a way to go back in time.

if this really makes you uncomfortable, then I would suggest talking to a therapist about it. You should be able to be yourself without feeling like your a freak. I don't think you are.

If you want to talk more, you are welcome to dm me.

 

[Randy Savage]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with littlespace. It's extremely comforting and can absolutely be an outlet for you.
And don't feel bad about purchasing food for littlespace. Food from my childhood is easily one of my favorite comforts. Maybe buy a bit more adult food xP

 

[QueerMelancholy]

You know I never knew what older people meant when they said THEY STILL FEEL YOUNG until I got much older.

I still feel like I'm 12 years old a lot of the time. Like we do all this pretending to be adults but we're still children. We're still all those versions of ourselves we've been throughout our lives.

I also spent so much of my 20s being serious because adults need to be serious to be taken seriously but the older I've gotten the more silly I feel.

Just do w/e makes you feel good at any second of any moment. Life is short. We're all pretending to be something or someone so people will like us. AND IT CAN BE HARD. Maybe it doesn't need to be that hard, you know?

 

[sugarb]

not sure if i've ever heard this talked about before but its something i've been dealing with for maybe 7 years since i was 19. sometimes when i'm overloaded/overstimulated with too much stress and anxiety i revert back to a younger self mentally. i'll usually just lay in bed with all my stuffed animals and watch cartoons or grab my coloring book. most of the food i get at the grocery store is kids food, which makes me feel really self conscious when checking out.

i don't know why i do it. it's like some weird compulsion that gives me a sense of safety, almost as if im taking care of my inner child and not my current self. i don't feel like i've mentally progressed past age 12, and i still feel like that little kid most of the time. i know some people deal with this but it's really difficult to talk about because i don't want people to think that i'm some kind of freak. it's hard to control these feelings. idk. i'm kinda crying while typing this out im sorry if i don't make sense.

does anyone else feel like this?

I personally don't, but my girlfriend does. In her case it's because of CSA; she regresses to 11. It's strange and I don't fully understand it but if it helps someone I love I figure it can't be too bad

So- don't worry, you make sense and you aren't a freak. If it makes you feel better and you aren't harming anyone, do it. <3

 

[Seered Doom]

I relate to this and regress to young ages as well. I think of myself as weird for being like this, but this is comforting to hear. I typically regress to between the ages of 4-6, but have been as young as a baby due to several traumatic events. I feel awful about it, but I hope you find some comfort in someone else relating to you

 

[luks]

Did you have a good childhood with pleasant memories? Even if you didn't, just the familiarity of those things can be comforting. My adult child still has their stuff animals from when they were a toddler, and sleeps with them and takes them when we travel. IMO, this is a mechanism to help deal with stressful situations.

Four decades later, I still fall back to routines I used when I was a teenager. They help to keep some stability in my life. I buy the adult coloring books now (the ones with all the curse words). Life was much simpler when I was 12, but I've yet found a way to go back in time.

if this really makes you uncomfortable, then I would suggest talking to a therapist about it. You should be able to be yourself without feeling like your a freak. I don't think you are.

If you want to talk more, you are welcome to dm me.

childhood was terrible. we moved around a lot from place to place (a pattern i continued in adulthood), so i never really had a sense of safety. the weird thing is i never really had stuffed animals as a kid. i remember when i was like 8 i took one of my sisters stuffed animals but was so afraid my dad would make fun of me for it that i gave it back to her (dad would bully me a lot).

the first stuffed animal i ever got was when i was 19. i treasure that one like its my own kid. i bring it out on plane and bus rides bc going outside is very scary. i honestly dont even know how i haven't lost them because i've moved around so much

you talk about going back in time and honestly thats all i wish i could do. since i was little i would daydream about being born with different parents and living in a happy home. i wish i could go back to that age and start anew with a whole new family. i'm not sure why i think about it so much. maybe at this point its my only viable form of escapism.

You know I never knew what older people meant when they said THEY STILL FEEL YOUNG until I got much older.

I still feel like I'm 12 years old a lot of the time. Like we do all this pretending to be adults but we're still children. We're still all those versions of ourselves we've been throughout our lives.

I also spent so much of my 20s being serious because adults need to be serious to be taken seriously but the older I've gotten the more silly I feel.

Just do w/e makes you feel good at any second of any moment. Life is short. We're all pretending to be something or someone so people will like us. AND IT CAN BE HARD. Maybe it doesn't need to be that hard, you know?

same. i feel like a 12 year old trapped inside a 25 year old body. it causes a lot of pain and im not sure how to deal with it