10 Big Signs of Emotional Abuse You May Be Overlooking
Many a times it’s hard to believe that the person who loves you could abuse you and it’s just words, you are not beaten. Emotional abuse leaves no marks, but sometimes it can be the hardest kind of abuse in any relationship. Emotional abuse is used to control and subjugate the other person. The victim doesn’t see the mistreatment as abuse.
Here 10 signs which show that you are in an emotionally abusive relationship.
- You are scared
If you feel fear around your partner or spouse, there is something very wrong. You are afraid even to ask about normal things happening because you are not sure how he will react to you at that time. You feel like you need permission to make decisions or go out somewhere may be for shopping or just spending some quality time of yours. Abusers may try to intimidate you with violence, dominance or power tactics. [ Read: 11 Bad Social Habits that Make You Undateable ]
- Humiliating or embracing you
They humiliate you, put you down, or make fun of you in front of other people. They disregard your opinions, ideas, suggestions or needs. They try to make you feel as though they are always right, and you are wrong. They regularly point out your flaws, mistakes or shortcomings. You may ignore this for a while but ignoring these can lead you to an unhealthy relationship.
- Comparisons
Many a times your partner start comparing you with his friend or someone who is better than you to your knowledge or some celebrity. He just starts taunting you. He will often remind you of not being perfect up to his own satisfaction. He just tries to avoid you and neglect what you have to say. He may show interest in some other partner which he found better than you. [ Read: 16 Abusive Relationship Signs You Need to Reconsider! ]
- Lowering self esteem
Mean jokes or constantly making fun of you is one of the important signs of emotional abusive relationships. They call you names; give you unpleasant labels, or making remarks under their breath. They blame you for their problems, life difficulties or unhappiness. They will remind you that you are not capable of doing any task and make you feel like a dumb all the time.
- Two faced personality
Many a times the behavior of the abuser may be confusing. Sometimes they will show extreme love and care for you but at other times they may be very mean and hurting one. You will be just confused of the thought whether he loves you or he is trying to breakup with you. You just won’t be able to predict how they will behave towards anything you do. Manipulation plays a huge role in most abusive relationships. [ Read: 7 Types Of People You Need To Kick Out Of Your Life ]
- Turning everyone against you
The abusers try to turn everyone against you so that you no one will be on your side against theirs. They try to put you down in front of others and blame you for the mistakes which you have done. He will tell everyone around you that how irresponsible you have become and don’t do things as they are supposed to be done.
- The silent treatment
An emotionally abusive partner will refuse to answer your text messages, phone calls or emails whenever they are mad at you. They will just disappear until they feel that you have been punished. They will try to avoid conversation and won’t listen to you at all; rather they will blame you for all the misunderstandings. The silence between both the partners may lead to a controversial relationship. [ Read: 10 Relationship Deal Breakers To Watch Out For! ]
- Isolates you
Emotional abusers want you all to themselves. If your partner prevents you from hanging out with other people then, understand that it’s the sign of emotional abuse and he is trying to isolate you from everyone. They start manipulating you one step at a time until you lose your confidence. You start believing that you are not capable of taking decisions and doing work independently. He won’t let you have friends or spend time with your families.
- Controls you through emotions
Emotionally abusive partners take pleasure in taking full control of the relationship. An abuser is a grand manipulator who will sulk, threaten to leave and emotionally punish you for not agreeing with him or his ideas. He may appear to be apologetic and loving when he feels that he has your forgiveness. He will constantly remind you of the things which you have screwed up. They don’t seem to notice or care about your feelings. They use sarcasm or teasing to put you down or make you feel bad about yourself. [ Read: Biggest Turn-Offs for Women That All Men Should Know About ]
- Denial
They accuse you of being too sensitive in order to deflect their abusive remarks. They make excuses for their behavior, try to blame others, and have difficulty apologizing. They invalidate or deny their emotional abusive behavior when confronted. It is not a sign of healthy relationship if your partner never takes responsibility and never admits of being at fault.
It is important to remember that while emotional abuse is often thought of as being committed by a man against a woman, women can also abuse men. Emotional abuse cannot be accepted in a relationship. We all have the right to be in a loving relationship in which there is kindness, compassion and self respect is taken care of. If you find any of the above signs in your relationship, then it’s always better to walk away from an emotionally abusive relationship.
