It’s cuffing season and all new relationships are exciting but it’s important to know when you deserve better. Oftentimes, people in emotionally abusive relationships don’t understand that they are being abused because there’s no violence involved. However just because you are not being physically harmed, it doesn’t mean that the abuse isn’t affecting your mental health. Being able to detect the signs in your relationships or that of others is an important step to knowing that you deserve better.
Emotional abusive relationships start off like a fairytale. Your new partner will go out of their way to show their devotion and the relationship will progress very rapidly. The abuser could claim that they’ve “never felt loved like this by anyone”. He/she/they might also try to make others feel responsible for their feelings saying “You make me angry”, instead of “I am angry”. Abusers also are possessive of their significant other. They will text and call expecting an answer right away. They’re always questioning your whereabouts and who you were with. What becomes confusing is that the abuser acts like they are the victim, claiming that infidelity in past relationships, a difficult upbringing, or irreconcilable differences with people close to them are justification for their possessiveness. This is just an attempt to disguise jealousy so don’t listen to the abuser when they say you’re being “unreasonable”. Abusers are also critical of their significant other, consistently ridiculing lifestyle choices and appearance. This stops when others are around and the abuser will become charming again. If you recognize some or any of these behaviors in your partner or in your friends’ relationships, you should know that it is not normal.
Here is the link to a national domestic hotline https://www.thehotline.org/
Counseling Center is also a good resource to talk through relationship conflicts.
https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/emotional_abuse/
OWU Sponsoring Organization/Office: Student Health Center.
Contact: Lexi Lease at anlease@owu.edu