How You Learned to Hide: The Childhood Root of Guarding Your Heart, by: Amariyah Speaks | Empowered Life Now | The 5R Reset

💔 Where Did You First Learn It Wasn’t Safe to Be You?

If you're someone who struggles to open up, stays emotionally guarded, or finds it hard to trust—even when you want to—it’s not because you're broken. It’s because your body and heart remember something your mind might have buried.

Many of us didn’t learn to guard our hearts because we’re cold or mean—we learned to guard because at some point, being open hurt.

And when it hurt, we made a quiet inner vow:

“Never again.”

That’s how the armor begins.

🌱 The Birth of Emotional Walls

Let’s get honest: emotional walls are often born in childhood.

You may have:

• Been told you were too sensitive

• Had your feelings dismissed, mocked, or ignored

• Been betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect you

• Been the emotional caretaker in your family

• Witnessed chaos, fear, or instability and had to “be strong”

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So, you learned how to shrink. How to toughen up. How to shut down.

And for a while… that strategy worked. It kept you from breaking.

But now? That same strategy may be blocking you from love, intimacy, and inner peace.

🔍 What Are Your Walls Made Of?

We all protect ourselves differently. Some armor looks like:

• Perfectionism

• Sarcasm or coldness

• Overachieving

• Isolation

• Controlling everything and everyone

• Never asking for help

Ask yourself:

What’s my version of hiding? What am I afraid would happen if I stopped?

🧠 Inner Child Wisdom: It Was Never Your Fault

The part of you that hides was never wrong—she was just trying to stay safe. She deserves compassion, not criticism.

Imagine your younger self—the little girl who felt hurt, rejected, or dismissed. She doesn’t need to be “fixed.”

She needs to hear:

“You never had to earn love. You were always worthy of being held.”

🕊️ How to Begin Releasing the Armor (Gently)

1. Acknowledge It Without Shame

   “I’ve been protecting myself, and that’s okay. But I don’t want to stay hidden anymore.”

2. Listen to the Fear Beneath the Guard

   “What does this wall protect me from? What do I wish I could believe instead?”

3. Speak to the Younger You

   “You are safe now. You don’t need to hide to survive. You can be loved and be seen.”

   
   

🌿 Midweek Journal Prompt

📝 When was the first time I stopped feeling safe to be vulnerable? What was happening, and what belief did I form in that moment?

Write freely. No editing. Just let the truth speak.

💖 A Loving Reminder

You don’t need to tear your walls down all at once. You just need to notice them with love—and offer your heart a new experience: safety, softness, and support.

You’re not “too much.” You’re not “too guarded.

” You’re just someone who learned to protect what was sacred.

And now, you’re learning to come home.