Did you know that around eighty percent of adults have reported experiencing emotional abuse? While it might seem easy to spot emotional abuse towards other people, it’s usually a lot harder for individuals to actually recognize when they’re being emotionally abused.
So keep on reading and we’ll take you through the top signs of emotional abuse that you need to know about!
Criticizing, Negating, and Humiliation
Someone who tries to undermine your self-esteem may be emotionally abusing you.
Name-calling is a common example of emotional abuse. This is when someone calls you derogatory nicknames to make you feel bad.
An abuser might also try character assassination. This form of abuse tends to include the word “always.” For example, they might say that you’re always late, wrong, problematic, etc.
Yelling and patronizing are also common forms of emotional abuse. If someone is rude to you with the intention of making you feel bad, that’s emotional abuse.
Shame and Control
An emotionally abusive person will train to gain control and power over you. They might try to make you feel ashamed about yourself as a way to exploit your vulnerabilities and manipulate you.
They might spy on you or monitor your whereabouts.
They might lecture you, make implicit or explicit threats, and emotionally blackmail you.
Gaslighting is also a common form of emotional abuse. This is when a person denies that something happened, even when you were there to witness it. For example, they might tell you one thing and then later claim that they never said that.
This tactic can leave you questioning your own memory and mental health and make you more dependent on the abuser.
Emotional Neglect and Isolation
If someone is emotionally abusing you, they might try to make you put their needs before your own. They will try to isolate you by getting in between you and your loved ones.
This kind of person will try to make you feel lonely and unimportant. They’ll give you the silent treatment or not pay attention to you as a way to make you feel small and worthless.
Someone who is emotionally abusive might even neglect property and let it fall into disarray. If you get injured on this property, the abuser might be responsible for premises liability. If that’s the case, you’ll want to hire a personal injury lawyer.
Ask Yourself: Am I Being Emotionally Abused?
If someone in your life makes you feel worthless and small, you should ask yourself “am I being emotionally abused?”
Emotional abuse can come from spouses, parents, friends, and employers. By knowing what signs to look out for, you can better take care of yourself.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog today for more helpful content!