Hey Amber,
"It probably has something to do with not being allowed to just be a kid who's running around, can't sit still - or shut up - who's so EXCITED... oh, and I guess that includes being HAPPY about whatever is causing the excitement..."
Yes, our natural energies & emotions were quashed when we were kids & our N parents labeled our emotions negatively. So, maybe we have trouble identifying which emotions we feel in our bodies & so many emotions & body sensations are negatively labeled. ie: Mistaking joyous excitement as anxiety (negative label).
I have done some work identifying my emotions & how each emotion feels in my body & where in my body I feel it. Often, N parents discouraged ACONS from feeling emotion & so we don't know what we feel or if we feel at all.
Solution (?): re-program our brain, id our emotions, id the body sensation of that partic emotion ie: do I feel the emotion in my chest? stomach? head? etc.
As usual, recovery is alotta work, but worth it. Like now, I know that if I get a headache or feel exhausted after being with a partic person, I need to limit/eliminate contact with them or if I can't limit/eliminate contact, then I must mentally protect myself.
fun, fun,fun!!!!!!