It’s Tough to Leave Emotionally Abusive Relationships

Unsplash pic by Sydney Sims

Mind games, manipulation, gaslighting, and control are all signs that emotional abuse is present. As a mental health professional, it’s easy to spot, but for many, especially people in toxic environments, it can be daunting to acknowledge that what is happening is actually happening.

Emotional abuse has a way of making people question their reality by questioning themselves and their sense of self-worth and what they deserve.

When most people think of emotional abuse, they usually think of the physical component, but emotional abuse is just as debilitating as physical abuse. As someone who has escaped emotionally abusive relationships and also counseled others dealing with the same, I think it’s essential to identify what emotional abuse is so that it becomes recognizable.

Emotional abuse is any behavior towards a person that is humiliating, insulting, or is meant to instill fear or doubt in a person.

But it’s also important to note that emotional abuse isn’t an isolated incident. It is a pattern. For example, if a friend makes a snide remark that hurts your feelings and then apologizes, it doesn’t mean they are emotionally abusive. However, if your friend is consistently rude, unkind…