đź’¸ What it means to have grown up in poverty
Growing up in poverty meant your body learned to remember hunger it can't forget, and your nervous system developed an alarm system that never fully turns off, even when resources become abundant.
You may have grown up in a world where there was never enough—never enough money for basics, never enough food in the fridge, never enough certainty about where you'd live next month. While other kids worried about which snacks to choose, you might have learned to calculate whether your family could afford both milk and bread in the same week. You became incredibly skilled at making something from nothing, stretching resources in ways that would amaze most people.
You likely mastered the art of invisibility—hiding hand-me-down shame, laughing off empty fridge jokes, and pretending you chose this lifestyle. Your nervous system may have learned to "store scarcity" like a biological warning system, creating guilt and anxiety every time you spend money on yourself, even now. The voice that whispers "Who do you think you are to afford that?" isn't just about money—it's about worthiness, belonging, and whether you deserve the same comforts others take for granted.