“AM I DAMAGED GOODS?” UNDERSTANDING EALRY LIFE STRESS IN CREATING HEALTH

There’s an increasing understand that stressors early in life can negatively impact development and health when we’re older.

These include:

• taking antibiotics when we’re young and how this can impact development
• lack of safety or other stressors, either acutely or ongoing
• cesarian birth
• even generatonal trauma

Becoming aware of these factors is positive. First, it can help us to make better decisions and not continue to repeat errors out of ignorance. We make different decisions for our families and communities.

It can also better help us understand our own health narrative. Are we just unlucky? Why do I have this issues and my neighbor who doesn’t take care of himself seems fine? Understanding early life experiences in our current health decades later is helpful.

But when we understand these connections, we may start to wonder: “but what can I do about it? It’s not like I can change . . . (insert thing in the past here)” - cesarian section. Rounds of antibiotics. Situations and events that left me traumatized and dysregulated.

But here’s the thing. These early events may have contributed to current health challenges and they may have reduced your “potential health maximum.”

BUT, the gap between your current health and your potential health is still vast. Immense. Ginormous.

I encourage you to both understand the implications of early life stressors AND focus on what’s in your control now. The vast majority of people haven’t scratched the surface of what’s possible for them.