When the word “abuse” pops up, the first thing that comes to mind is physical damage. It creates a picture of one, physically attacking the other, and inflicting pain on them through visible scars. And such scars, sometimes are erasable, they last for a lifetime, serving as evidence of what the victim had gone through. With physical abuse in a relationship, it is easier to seek justice, to have the shield of the law protect you and give you the compensation you need by sanctioning punishment to the abuser, when found guilty, through judicial procedures. Sadly, the same cannot be said about emotional abuse because it's oftentimes, not visible, and lacks tangible evidence, leaving the victim to suffer in silence.
5 Tips on How to Deal with Emotional Abuse in a Relationship
1. Protect yourself first
Any form of abuse is dangerous, be it emotional or physical. Besides, physical abuse doesn’t happen overnight, it breeds from verbal utterances. You need to be sure that you are 100% safe, otherwise, make use of the door and do it fast. If you think it hasn’t gotten to that level yet, well, you need to be at alert, whenever you are meeting with your partner. If it means keeping them at a distance, do it.
2. Draw the line
If you are waiting for your partner to wake up one morning and stop abusing you, then you are in for a very long wait; that’ll never happen. If you want things to change, then you must initiate the change. Layout the things that are acceptable and those that aren’t acceptable to you in the relationship. And if your partner can’t accept it, perhaps it’s time to talk a walk and shut the door behind you. Always remember that people will only treat you less if you give them the chance too.
3. Exhibit emotional intelligence
Your partner is already acting unruly by abusing you, don’t give him/her the pleasure by being irrational too. Be the mature one. You need to know when to talk and when not to, when to indulge them and when not to. If you are a woman and your abuser is a man, engaging them in a fight isn’t advisable, express your feelings to them in a cool and calculated manner. When you notice that the room is getting hotter, just slow down and excuse yourself.
4. Talk to your partner
If both of you are in a relationship, you must have some happy moments that are void of abuse. When you realize that you are having one of those good times and your partner is in a very good state of mind, talk to them about how they are treating you, let them know that they are hurting you. If they truly loved you, the last thing they’d want to do is to hurt you.
5. Leave while you can
That’s it. If you’ve tried to remedy the situation and it obviously isn’t working, you need to realize that you cannot perform magic. Your love interest will only change, when they make up their mind, out of their own will, to change. It’s prudent for you to leave such an emotionally abusive relationship, while you can before things get worse. A break-up is better than a loss.
Statistics show that both sexes, men, and women suffer emotional abuse in relationships, so don’t think that women are the only victims. It’s simple, don’t do unto others, what you wouldn’t want to be done to you. Why torment someone else, when you don’t want to be tormented? Everyone deserves better.
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Relationship