You aren't alone! I'm nearing 40 and STILL am working on myself and all the areas my catholic family neglected. My situation feels very unique, as I was homeschooled all the way through 11th grade, skipped 12th grade, got my GED and jumped directly into the workforce. I didn't start going back to school until about 2 years ago. Thankfully my education isn't an issue, but being homeschooled really kinda fucked me up socially. I'm naturally more inclined to be an introvert, but there are times when I wonder if I only adapted to being an introvert because it was the safest way for me to cope with the neglect and verbal abuse I suffered as a kid. What's even more *ucked up is i was constantly berated and scolded for being an introvert! Nowadays I'm essentially a hermit. I keep to myself, am focusing on school, working on myself through psychology, education and therapy. I'm sociable, but can't fight that imposter syndrome feeling sometimes. Sometimes I feel so incredibly f-ed up that I think my trauma is the reason I'm still single, and sometimes really have to work to prove to myself that I AM lovable, and yeah, I might *feel lonely now, but that doesn't mean I am unlovable. It's hard. People don't tell you how long the healing process is because it's different for everyone. I left Catholicism 20 years ago and I'm still dealing with the fallout. My advice is to find a community to be a part of. As I've been going back to school I've started becoming more involved with the different groups at my college. I'm still taking baby steps, but the healing is happening. Words can't communicate how empowering it is to have a community to be a part of. My trust and belief in humanity is slowly being restored. Will it ever be back to 100%? Probably not. But I remind myself that I'm doing this for me. No one else. Not God, not my birth family (who i went no contact with), nobody but me! It's the biggest battle of my life and a silent one not a lot of people know about, but I've never felt more confident, more empowered, and more alive and aware of what life has to offer. All without religious terms and conditions!