My inner little girl is so good at pretending to be an adult that, most of the time, she completely fools me!
Take a moment to check – have you really grown up?
Infantile behavior isn’t exactly something people appreciate. Most of us prefer not to deal with it. After all, we already have enough problems to handle, so dealing with another adult acting like a child? Not ideal.
Infantilism is often associated with irresponsibility, a lack of commitment, and difficulty managing emotions.
But what if I told you that even the most serious and responsible people can still be dealing with infantilism?
The core role of adulthood is self-regulation.
The ability to bring yourself back into balance without suppressing your emotions.
Being able to provide support to yourself and show self-compassion. And no, this isn’t about treating yourself to a spa day, chocolate, or a shopping spree. It’s about accepting and processing your emotions.
Recognizing your needs in the moment and making time to meet them.
Knowing when to encourage yourself – sometimes with kind words, sometimes with a little push.
And, most importantly, not letting your fears control you.
Outwardly, this looks like responsibility and emotional control.
While many overgrown “children” jump around like bunnies chasing butterflies in a sunny field, pouring out their emotions left and right, another group of “ungrown” adults has learned to mimic mature behavior by shutting down their emotions and completely disconnecting from their inner child. But deep down, they still haven’t mastered self-regulation.
These are people who are overly self-critical, high achievers, procrastinators, and often feel the need for constant activity, a busy life, and external validation of success. Without these, they feel like something is wrong with them.
They challenge their fears, but often don’t recognize their limits. Maintaining the outward appearance of an adult can be exhausting for them, and as a result, they burn out, live in constant stress, and don’t know how to manage it. This can lead to the tendency to rely on unhealthy habits to cope.
Additionally, these individuals often struggle to ask for help and feel hurt when they’re not appreciated. Yet, at the core, this is simply a childlike expectation of praise for doing the “right thing” or working hard.
For mature individuals, adult behavior comes from inner harmony. But for those who are still growing, it’s more of a forceful attempt to meet societal “norms.” And when they slip up, they instantly think, “There’s something wrong with me” or “I’m not good enough.”
If you’ve recognized yourself in this, the first and most important step is to acknowledge that the problem exists.
The second step is to book a free diagnostic session, where we’ll figure out exactly how to move forward.
For those who prefer to work on it independently, I suggest starting an emotional journal. It will help you connect with your true emotions, which is a crucial step toward inner growth and maturity.