Mental and Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is defined as continued and deliberate mistreatment of another person employing psychological aggression, intimidation, control and emotional manipulation.
“Unlike physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse is subtle. It’s a lot more confusing to victims as it typically is couched in behaviours that can initially be perceived as Caring”, says a social worker. Emotional abuse can be more devastating than physical abuse. While wounds and bruises may leave scars, they will heal eventually; emotional trauma can leave lifelong invisible scars that may affect your brain chemistry and change you.
Emotional abuse can affect the development of your brain and your capacity to process emotions. Emotional abuse happens when someone tries to control you by using emotions as a weapon instead of physical violence. Abuse can be blatant, leave bruises, and be less obvious and leave only internal pain and suffering. Whether physical or psychological, abuse is a form of bullying that undermines a person’s self-esteem, tears families apart and sometimes takes lives too.
Signs of mental and emotional abuse :
Constantly criticizing
When you are constantly being criticized, no matter how big or small this criticism can be, in the end, you are left with the feeling that you are useless and can’t do anything right. It might be about how you walk, how you dress, how you cook, and how you speak.
Isolation
You are isolated from your family members and your close ones. You are emotionally taken in confidence that your isolation is for your betterment. The overall goal is to isolate you from people who could be a resource to help you see that your situation is not healthy for you.
Cruel Sarcasm
You are teased or sarcastically abused cruelly, and when you express any level of frustration or sadness, you again will be accused of being too sensitive. You will be blamed for misunderstanding things. You make jokes in front of family or friends, which will wear you down over time.
Shop Now
Sudden change in affection
There is a typical tactic of shifting the expression of being loving, caring and affectionate to being angry and demanding that mentally and emotionally abusive people use. This makes the targeted person feel unprepared to make decisive moves.
Excessive jealousy
You are often accused of cheating your partner even though you are above board, or your innocent conversations are constantly doubted. You are being abused by even talking to the opposite sex. Well, this is a typical sign of your partner being abusive.
Avoiding certain topics
Sometimes you have to stay quiet about things that bother you. You fear triggering your partner by discussing.
Conclusion :
Emotional or verbal abuse is one of the most rampant but overlooked forms. Abuse in any form is never okay. And it’s something no one should ever have to go through. The negative impact it can have on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being should not be taken lightly. The emotional trauma resulting from emotional abuse can be felt for much longer than any physical pain. Many people remain ignorant of the way it can negatively affect your life. And others tend to be much less sympathetic towards emotional abuse victims than they are towards physical abuse victims. Emotional suffering is personal. It can harm your self-confidence and lead you to develop an inferiority complex.
A question to all :
Have you ever been through emotional or mental abuse?
If yes, how did you deal with it?
Related:
Effects of Sleep Deprivation: Risks & Impact
