Running away from verbal abuse

A lot of people are speaking on physical abuse these days, it has become an act that we know for sure to run away from, but not a lot is being said concerning verbal abuse, that's usually one side of abuse that is not as obvious as the physical one.

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Verbal abuse is a form of emotional abuse, through the use of words, there is a practice of assault, manipulation, dominion, and degrading of another individual. This practice significantly hurts the mental health of the abused.

The bad thing is, so many people are being abused verbally without even realizing it. Verbal abuse can happen in any type of relationship; romantic, parent-to-child, among siblings, and even in a place of work.

One individual can experience both physical and verbal abuse, but in some cases, only verbal abuse is the case and it is as dangerous as physical abuse is.

Verbal abuse is the use of words to bully, call names, intimidate, frighten, or control the victim. It could be in the form of yelling, screaming, or swearing. The purpose of this act is to gain power, control and intimidate the victim into submission.

Some cases of verbal abuse are not even aggressive making the victim question if they are truly being abused and if it is even a big deal to start with.

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These are signs of a verbally abused person/relationship.

• You are scared of telling them things about yourself for fear of being mocked later.

• You are scared of going out in public with them for fear of embarrassment.

• You need to be careful about the things you say or do in their presence.

• You are afraid of him/her.

• You are constantly being put down about your looks, dress sense, or the way you speak.

• You already feel ashamed about yourself because of the things they say.

• They yell at you or disrespect you and try to cover up the act when you react with the fact that, you do not have a good sense of humor.

Some verbal abuse form makes the person shout and call names, but some are subtle, having the person being put down, and corrected consistently, as if they never did anything right.

The first step to healing from verbal abuse is by accepting that there is a problem, when that is done, you begin to look for a solution to your problem, but if you continue to live in denial, then there isn't much that can be done.

Sharing with someone might be difficult but it is important to healing. Have a good friend or a therapist to speak to about your experience and you will understand how things will begin to get better from there onwards.

Remind yourself that you are valuable and worthy, it is not your fault that you are being abused. The practice of self-care will make you feel much more valuable and respected even yourself.

A safe exit plan is required most times during an abusive relationship. You may not want to leave instantly, but at least make gradual plans to exit the abusive relationship.