Honest question:

How much of that mental maturing is caused by the act of being exposed to (sometimes over) stimulating activities and environments?

Like, a tree getting stronger because the wind blows it around?

I have my own issues, and while I'm still figuring things out, my personal impression is that by being more or less forced to fit in, I've developed skills to control myself/improve myself. Within reason.

No shade to anyone, and this is still a question to you since you seem to be knowledgeable on the subject. But the impression I get, which could be wrong, is that people who cope with overstimulating environments by removing themselves from them, tend to stop growing or improving themselves.

Like a tree planted in a pot indoors, yeah, sure, it's nice and calm in there all the time, and there's no wind. But if you ever had to move it back outside it might just break, you know?

Examples of people I know include the extreme: those who stay home all the time and never see their friends anymore for any reason.

To the just beginning to struggle, my friends teenage adult son who wears earplugs all day every day.

Everyone has their issues, and I know I sound judgemental but I'm not trying to be. I honestly want the best for them. But my feeling is that if you don't push yourself, you'll never grow.

I'm not saying never remove the stimuli, always power through. No.

I myself am well known with my friends for just randomly disappearing, only to be found later in a dark quiet room just chilling for 5,10,15 minutes. So I understand it. But then I come back.

I just personally would never choose to permanently remove stimuli, even if sometimes it's too much. Because I feel like I will regress.

Sorry for the wall, but does this make sense?

Oh I'm faulting no one, like I said, this used to be me. I disagree that there's no way to learn emotional regulation skills earlier though, there are effective ways to teach this, but as a society we don't teach emotional regulation skills at all. I was certainly never exposed to the concept and only stumbled across it as an adult