Signs of an Emotionally Abusive Relationship

It can be difficult for someone in an emotionally abusive relationship to realize that their relationship has turned toxic. The metamorphosis happens slowly, after months or years of tearing you down piece by piece, until you lack confidence in your own opinions and thoughts. In many cases, the abuser started the relationship by making you feel special and cared for. But over time, this turned into controlling and abusive behavior. Following are 10 signs that you may be in an emotionally abusive relationship:

• They gaslight you. Gaslighting is making you doubt yourself by lying and denying reality. They may tell you, “That never happened,” about events that you know took place. Or, “I never said / did that,” about something you know they did. Gaslighting slowly undermines your self-confidence over time.

• They criticize you and intentionally embarrass you. They belittle your appearance. If you ask them to stop embarrassing you, they tell you “Don’t be so sensitive.”  Your partner should build you up and brag about you, not drag you down.

• Everything is your fault. They may even try to blame their own misdeeds or emotions on you. For example, “You need to stop making me so mad all the time.” In reality, they need to take personal responsibility for their emotions and actions.

• They emotionally blackmail you. A common threat is “I’m going to commit suicide if you leave me.”  You are not responsible for their actions or emotions, they are.

• You are constantly walking on eggshells and/or apologizing. You need to always put their needs first because you are scared of their reaction if you don’t. In a healthy relationship, there is give and take.

• They read your texts and check your communications with others. Instead, they should trust you.

• They are jealous and controlling. They may want to know your whereabouts at all times. If they text you, they expect you to write back immediately. If they call you, they expect you to drop what you are doing and answer the call.  They should trust you and not expect you to be at their beck and call.

• They try to isolate you from friends and family. They may also accuse you of cheating whenever you interact with members of the opposite sex. In a healthy relationship, both partners visit and interact with other people.

• They cut off your access to money. They do this to make you entirely dependent on them and make it harder for you to leave.

• You are scared of them. This is the number one clue that you are in an abusive relationship and need to develop an exit plan.

If you want to exit an emotionally abusive relationship, the compassionate attorneys at Troy Legal will leave no stone unturned fighting for you to gain access to your fair share of marital funds, gain timesharing rights for your children, and refer you to local resources to help restart your life.

Troy Legal, P.A. was founded in 2009 and serves clients throughout South Florida. Troy Legal, P.A., specializes in Marital and Family Law, providing reputable legal services for prenuptial and co-habitation agreements, paternity cases, adoption matters, alimony and child support, time sharing and parenting plans, drafting of qualified domestic relations orders (qdros), mediation services, equitable distributions, collaborative law, post-judgement modification and enforcement, domestic violence cases, and dissolution of marriage or divorce.  Troy Legal, P.A. is dedicated to serving clients through compassionate and aggressive representation, while upholding the highest degree of ethical standards.

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