StarCat

Our childhood is the foundation for our lives, and where we determine what is "normal."

As an example, I had a friend in college who grew up in Massachusetts. He ended up going to graduate school in Georgia, and we kept in touch for awhile via email.
I had to laugh when I saw his wintertime pictures - all his classmates in their heavy coats and gloves with their lips turning blue, and him standing out there in shorts and a T-shirt because their winter was in the same temperature range as his childhood summer.
Eventually he did start wearing longer pants during the Georgia winter, but it was only after attending summer classes for several years, and he never felt comfortable in the heavy jackets his classmates wore (especially since he'd fly home every Christmas).

When our childhood is one way, it takes awhile to become acclimated to something else, and even so it takes awhile for that to become anything close to comfortable. Childhood plays a bigger factor in things than most people realize.
It's not an excuse, per se, but it is an important starting point to those trying to find a healthier lifestyle. I know in my case it has taken awhile for me to feel comfortable in a relationship where (1) it's not always my fault when anything goes wrong, (2) I have a say in some of the activities we do, (3) I am not expected to take responsibility for everything and read people's minds to determine all the things I'm supposed to do, and (4) there are clear boundaries where I stop and the other starts and vice versa. These are all things that I did not have growing up, and even though I know that these are important parts of a healthy relationship, they are outside of my comfort/"uncomfortably comfortable" zone.