It breaks my heart when I scroll through social media and see unhealthy relationships in so many posts. A lot of people do not understand unhealthy/abusive relationships and frequently will settle for someone who is emotionally/mentally or verbally abusive. These relationships are not always romantic either, often times there are friends who are also abusive to one another.

Physical abuse is also an important issue among young people, however I feel as if sometimes it is important to shine a special light on emotional and verbal abuse. These issues are harder to recognize. Emotional and verbal abuse have no tangible evidence therefore recognizing the signs of an emotionally or verbally abusive relationship could help end the ones that are unhealthy. The goal of this article is to reach people who are in these kinds of relationships and help them to change their ways or end the relationship all together.

Some common aspects of relationships that are emotionally or verbally abusive are typically easily hidden behind claims of doing it out of love. However, real love does not require abuse of any kind. For example, a significant other using manipulation or beratement to get what they want would be emotionally and verbally abusive. Many times, emotional and verbal abusers will use manipulation to isolate the person they are abusing. They may say they do not like your friends and begin to tell you who you may and may not be friends with. To an abuser, this makes their victim more dependent on them.

Other aspects of abusive relationships and friendships involve actions like pointing out insecurities, relentlessly making fun of one another (in a serious way,) and using insults and manipulative actions to make the other person feel small. Ultimately, abusers aim to make you feel small and take away your self worth.

Healthy and supportive relationships make a huge difference in life. When someone has healthy friendships and relationships it offers a support system and unconditional love. This allows people to have better self esteem and a happier life. If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, get out of that situation because you are worth so much more. You deserve the love and support that is offered by healthy relationships. It is time to stop glamorizing and settling for abuse.