According to most recent Statistics 1 in 4 women in the US is a victim of abuse by an intimate partner. On average the national Hotline gets 20 thousand calls to help, and many other incidents are not even reported due to lack of awareness.
Aside from physical and sexual, other forms of abuse are emotional and verbal. Unlike physical, emotional abuse is hard to notice and abusers are very skilled at playing it off making their victims think they are the issue causing the incidents or arguments.
Regardless of how prevalent or subtle this form of abuse might be in your life, it is just as detrimental to your mental health and wellness as would physical or sexual be.
As someone who has lived it, survived it and overcome it I made it my mission to bring awareness on this subject and educate other women and girls, on how to identify it and how to stop it.
Many woman don't even realize they are subjected to emotional abuse until the red flags and the subtle signs of abuse become evident or when they start feeling trapped in their relationships/marriages.
Here is how you can quickly assess your relationship and identify if you are being emotionally abused.
Can you relate to any of the following?
feel guilty or shameful often
get blamed or are accused of creating most problems in the relationship
feel like you're walking on eggshells or have to pick your words carefully to not upset the other person
have trouble figuring out what makes the other person happy
often wish the other person would validate your thoughts and feelings
want to believe that person has your best interest in mind (but it never seems to work out in your favor)
feel your boundaries are not respected and are being violated
are coerced into activities you are not comfortable doing
see a much different side of that person than your family and friends do
find it difficult to get your emotional needs met by that person
often get told by the other person that you misunderstood what they said or that you aren't thinking clearly
are called names or otherwise belittled or made fun of
seek empathy from that person, but rarely if ever get it
ever felt the need to/ or have left, but came back because you believed they would change as they promised. And soon as you come back they are back to their old tricks.
If you have identified that you might be emotionally abused it might be time to take action and align resources to help you plan your next steps.
You are not alone, there are a number of women who are going through similar emotional pain this very minute and are ready to take action as well.
With collective support anything is possible. You don’t have to remain a victim of abuse and you are worthy of a meaningful pain free life. Speak out and help us change the statistics one home at a time.
If and when you are ready to chat, I am here. You can also check out the National Crisis Hotline by Texting HOME to 741741
