A new hashtag popped up on Twitter this week highlighting problems seen in toxic relationships. The tag, #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou, talks about the non physical forms of abuse that can appear in relationships.
When thinking of abuse it’s easy to automatically picture bruises, however, when the abuse is emotional the damage is not as easy to see.
Photo courtesy of @AkilahObviously on Twitter
This hashtag allowed dozens of women to speak up about their experience with emotional abuse, but it’s important to note men are just as susceptible to emotional abuse as women.
With any form of abuse it is easy to make excuses for your partner, but with emotional abuse it’s even easier. Why? Because often times your partner will convince you that you are the problem.
Photo courtesy of @tayxsue on Twitter
Shining a spotlight on this issue is incredibly important because it’s a side of abuse people tend to ignore. A quick Google search of physical abuse will give you multiple statistics about how many people have suffered from this form of abuse in their life. However, Google emotional abuse and you’ll be searching for a while to find any type of statistic.
Sadly, it’s easy to find yourself in a toxic relationship without even realizing it. In high school sex ed we learn about STD’s and how to avoid pregnancy, but we’re not taught the warning signs of toxic relationships. Without proper education, people can enter into relationships and not even see how toxic their partner may be.
Photo courtesy of @afrosypaella on Twitter
If you scroll through these tweets and find yourself questioning your relationship, I urge you to reach out for help. Toxic relationships are hard to leave, but emotional abuse is just as damaging as physical, and the sooner you can leave the relationship the better.
If you feel you to talk to someone, reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and please remember you are not alone.