Intentionally Hurts Me: This is Abuse

This week’s theme might seem more obvious than others, but in intimate relationships, it can be difficult to know when someone’s actions cross the line – especially when examining abusive behaviors that are not physical violence.

We can often pinpoint physically abusive behavior because it is the most overt kind of domestic abuse, and as a result we may overlook less obvious abusive behavior.

When a partner or someone with whom you are in an intimate relationship makes a habit of saying or doing things that they know will upset you, hurt your feelings or otherwise harm your mental and emotional health, they do so with the intention of undermining your wellbeing.

Insults and belittling may cause victims of abuse to lose confidence and self-esteem. When a person’s self-esteem has been damaged, they may lose confidence in their judgement and decisions, which makes reaching out to an organization like the WCA or to friends and family for support much more difficult.

If someone displays a pattern of this kind of behavior, intentionally doing things to hurt you, this is abuse.

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