Gaslighting

Have you ever found yourself questioning your own memory after an argument with someone? Chances are, they were gaslighting you.
Gaslighting is a form of emotional manipulation through which an abuser makes you doubt your own sanity.
There are many warning signs that will help you figure out if someone is using gaslighting as a way of manipulating you. While most of the warning signs are very obvious to outsiders, it is much more difficult for a person in an abusive relationship to recognize and acknowledge them.
Here are the top six signs you are in an unhealthy relationship and may be a victim of gaslighting:

1. You have stopped trusting your own memory. If a person causes you to doubt your own recollection of events, they may be gaslighting you.
2. You have started to believe you’re over-sensitive and crazy. Abusers frequently make their victims feel like they have irrational mood swings to draw attention away from their own abusive behavior.
3. You apologize frequently to other people, even when it’s not your fault.Victims of emotional abuse are used to apologizing to their abusers and start believing everything is their own fault. Thus, they constantly apologize to their coworkers, friends, and other loved ones, even in situations where it is completely unnecessary.
4. You are frequently making excuses for your partner’s behavior to your loved ones. If your partner’s behavior was acceptable, you would not have to explain it to anyone.
5. You hide information from your loved ones. If you are afraid or embarrassed of exposing your relationship dynamics, you may be getting emotionally abused.
6. Your self esteem is plummeting. In a healthy relationship, both partners feel happy and satisfied. If you feel trapped, unhappy, and more self-conscious as a result of your partner’s behavior, it is a major red flag that your relationship is not healthy.
   
   

Learning the signs of an abusive relationship is the first step toward getting help. If you or someone else you know is in an unhealthy relationship, Contact Us.
Or you can Like us on Facebook and look for future blog posts to learn more about the dynamics of an abusive relationship.

By Nabah Rizvi, aka: "Thoughts of an Angry Hijabi"