Emotional abuse is something that can go on for years before the victim even realizes that something is wrong. People can so easily hide their abusive behavior when it’s not physical. One of the most horrible tactics that these people use is gaslighting. That means that they manipulate their victims by making them think that they’re crazy.
It’s an all too common practice that has many people believing that their only hope in life is to stay with their abuser. Otherwise, they feel like they will have no one to rely on. If you think that you may be a victim of this kind of abuse, here are 12 warning signs that your significant other is gaslighting you.
1. You Feel Anxious Most of the Time
No matter where you are or who you’re with, you feel constantly on edge. It’s especially bad when you’re around your partner. Because of this anxiety, you’re constantly in fear that you might do something stupid to upset others.
2. You’ve Lost Your Confidence
Even if before you were the life of the party, now you’re extremely insecure. You’ve become quieter, shyer, and less likely to share your opinions with others. There’s really no self-confidence left in you.
3. You’re Constantly Apologizing
In your mind, everything is your fault. There’s a constant feeling of guilt that looms over you no matter what’s going on. Even the smallest occurrence will leave you feeling responsible. Whenever something goes wrong, you always apologize, even if it’s not really your fault.
4. You Need to Walk on Eggshells Around Your Significant Other
The slightest thing could set them off. Upsetting them or making them angry is the last thing that you want so you do you do everything in your power to avoid it. Despite your efforts though, it usually happens anyway.
5. You Feel Like You’re Always Wrong
You truly believe that you’re stupid and everything that you say or do is wrong. Although you may not realize it, you only believe that because it’s what your partner made you believe.
6. You Find it Hard to Make Decisions Alone
It’s not news to you that your significant other likes to be in charge of you. If you decide something on your own, they always tell you that you’re wrong. Since there’s no way to keep them happy with your own choices, you rely on their input.
7. You Don’t Want to Say Anything Bad About Your Partner
People complain about their partners to their family and friends when they do something to annoy them, it’s natural. Unlike them, however, you’re extremely reluctant to do so. If you even think about saying something bad about them, you become extremely anxious or fear that someone will judge your decision to be with them.
8. You Feel Isolated
Your partner is really the only person that you see at this point since you’ve stopped seeing other people as often. Because of that, you feel lonely. Even when you’re with your significant other, you feel completely isolated.
9. You Question if You’re Being Dramatic
Sometimes you become upset by your partner’s behavior and think that they’re being unfair. Whenever those thoughts occur, however, you quickly brush them off and decide that you’re just making a big deal out of nothing.
10. You Make Excuses For Your Partner
They say and do some pretty awful things to you a lot of the time. Despite that, you still forgive them because you make excuses for why they’re doing the things that they do.
11. You Feel Hopeless
Even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re not happy in the relationship. Somewhere deep in your mind, you feel like you have no way out of the terrible situations that you’re in.
12. You’ve Changed
The person that you once were has long gone. Now, you feel like you’ve become a completely different person and there’s no way to get the old you back. Even other people have been commenting that you seem different recently.
If you’ve been experiencing any of these 12 things, then it’s time that you take a step back and take a deeper look at your relationship. You need to see if your partner’s behavior around you is really okay. If someone you love was being treated the same way that you are, would you tell them that it’s normal?
Share this article with your friends and family to show them the warning signs of emotional abuse.
