Emotional abuse creates a great deal of hurt and distress in someone’s life. Often the victims of emotional abuse feel isolated, alone, and fearful. It can be hard to leave the abuser because, more often than not, the person who is abusing us is also very close to us. The abuser may be your family member, partner, employer, or even friend. The abuser may even be someone that we love and feel like we could not live without. This is confusing and causes a tug-of-war between love and abuse. When the victim of emotional abuse has been manipulated, they may not even see themselves as being the victim, but instead believe that they are the problem not the perpetrator. This article will help you identify emotional abuse signs and points you in the right direction to find support.
Signs of emotional abuse vary depending on each individual situation and their perpetrator; however manipulation and control is almost always involved. The person abusing you may act like a whole different person in the public eye than they do with you. It may be someone who is cherished, charismatic, or ever looked up to in the community. This same person that is loved by other may make your life a living hell at home.
In the privacy of your own home the abuser may have unreasonable demands, blame you constantly, make you feel fearful of “messing up,” or use you as excuse to get angry, which causes you to walk on egg shells around them. These people are unhealthy and harmful to your life. They may even be jeopardizing you safety and wellbeing.
No job title, age, or gender determines or excludes a person from being a perpetrator or a victim of emotional abuse. Neglect, ignoring your needs, or witnessing abuse are in-direct but can still be signs of emotional abuse. Small comments that sting, or if someone is constantly belittling you in front of others is often an indicator that this person is not treating you right and it needs to be addressed. This behavior can easily spiral out of control after time and start to become emotional abuse or even considered domestic violence.
Emotional abuse definitions are broad and difficult to pin-point because emotional abuse can mean so many things. Regardless of the large spectrum that emotional abuse encompasses in our culture we like to define things and be able to identify with something. If you grew up in a house with domestic violence, experienced trauma, or have been verbally, psychically, or sexual abused, emotional abuse is typically a secondary result of these situations. There may be unresolved pain that needs to be addressed. Healing from your emotional abuse and letting go of the unhealthy relationship(s) tied to that abuse is essential. Weather you have past wounds or you’re currently experience this abuse help is close by.
The hardest thing to do when someone is involved with an emotional abusive person is to leave the situation. It can be critical to your safety to seek professional help if you feel you are in an abuse relationship. We understand how scary and torn you may feel but remember you are not along. Please take the first step to free yourself of your emotional abuse by calling Solutions Treatment Center at 505-424-3170.