In time, self-soothing becomes automatic and operates unconsciously to ward off anxiety. Things that might upset us get neutralized by the self-soothing so that many potential worries never even come to mind. If self-soothing is in short supply, one can be flooded with things to worry about. Good self-soothing is transportable and genuinely owned by the individual. Some moms supply loads of self-soothing but only through a psychological umbilical cord.
Some families teach children that home is safe and the world outside is dangerous.
Even a good original supply of self-soothing can be damaged by trauma. Or, a bad flight or being mugged can damage self-soothing in a more limited way so that one avoids flying in similar conditions or certain street situations. If self-soothing is not transportable, problems arise when going out into the world on our own. Leaving home separates us from our source soothing. Anxiety comes in the teens and twenties as we venture from home.