Recognizing and Escaping Emotional Abuse: A Comprehensive Guide

Do you feel insulted, wounded and hurt by your partner? Sometimes, emotional abuse can be worse than physical abuse. It can affect the person’s mental health. A relationship is abusive when there is constant misbehavior that wears down the other person’s self-esteem. The victim gets hidden in self-doubt and worthlessness. Emotional abuse can affect the victim’s whole environment – friend circle, workplace, health etc. The wounds left on the victim are severe. The hardest part is to identify if you’re in one and how to get out of it.

Emotional Abuse

HOW TO IDENTIFY IF YOU’RE IN AN EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP?

• Making unreasonable demands from you.
• Constant criticism for everything you do.
• Your partner constantly checks up on you, where and who you’re with.
• Your partner says hurtful things to you but calls it a joke.
• Dismissing your requests, wants and needs.
• You have to apologize for things you haven’t done.

Saying sorry for his mistakes

• Your partner doesn’t appreciate your strengths and accomplishments.
• Your partner uses his/her power and controls you.
• They threaten to take something important away from you.
• Refusing to accept your opinions or ideas as valid.

Not accepting your ideas and opinions

• Blaming you for their mistakes.
• Creating baseless arguments.
• Irrational jealousy.

All these signs can tell you if you are in an emotionally abusive relationship. There are many other things your partner may do; it is different for all relationships.

HOW TO GET OUT OF AN EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP?

Make yourself a priority

Your mental health should be your priority. Before this relationship worsens your condition, think about yourself. Do something that will help you bring change. Practice self-care. Eat healthy and exercise. Take care of yourself first.

Open up

Do not hide what you’re going through. Talk to your family, friends or visit an expert. The more you keep it inside, the more it’ll harm your body. Stop being silent about the abuse.

Talk to someone

Talk to your partner

Make efforts to sit down with your partner and talk to him/her about how you feel. If you feel you’ve put in your best and your partner is still the same, use the exit plan. Get out of the emotionally abusive relationship and create a healthy environment around you.