7 Steps To Heal From Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse includes words and behaviors that frustrate you and lower your self-confidence. So emotional abuse includes insults (insults, public embarrassment, and constant blame), intimidation, isolation (refusing to let you see friends and family), threats, rejection (pretending not to notice you or what you're saying) and control over money. 

So once you've made the decision to leave, it's time to heal and move on. You can begin to recover and feel more in control of your life.

Effects of emotional Abuse.

Emotional Abuse can also result in behavioral and physical side effects. You may experience:

• difficulty concentrating
• moodiness
• muscle tension
• nightmares
• racing heartbeat
• various aches and pains

Long-term effects.

You may also develop:

• anxiety
• chronic pain
• guilt
• insomnia
• social withdrawal or loneliness

Here Are 7 Steps To Heal From  Emotional Abuse

1- Acknowledge the Abuse.

Thinking about and accepting your ex abuse as a real event can be very difficult, but it is the first step to healing from the experience. Many people find it difficult to admit their past abuse. Sometimes this can be due to the belief that “I am ashamed of being abused” or “What I really experienced wasn’t that bad.” Other times, people repress their past abuses in the hope that if they don't acknowledge them, they will go away.

One thing is for sure, the longer the emotional pain from abuse remains unrecognized, the more negative effects it will produce in your life. As you begin to admit your abuse for what it was, you will also begin to take back your personal power over your life. When you decide to deal with your old wounds, realize that it is normal to feel the same feelings that you felt at the time of your abuse. These painful feelings remain inside you and will only heal when you accept them and face them.

2- Write down everything. 

By keeping a record of your life, you can look back when you doubt yourself. Confirming that your memories match this record will help you trust yourself more. 

Journaling is an important habit to develop in your life. These prompts should help you start the habit of writing and/or drawing every day to help yourself think about and develop a strong relationship with yourself. Many of us spend years of our lives searching for a hero in other people, when the truth is, the only hero who will truly have the greatest impact on our lives is ourselves. 

As you continue on your writing journey, Keep writing to different aspects of yourself. Make your painful self talk to your wise self. Ask your unstable self for advice from your mature self. This kind of process will teach you that you can count on yourself and don't really need others to fix you.

3- Changing negative thinking patterns.

Emotional abusers alter your experience of reality by telling lies about yourself and the world until you accept their interpretation of reality on yourself. After enough time, you begin to accept these messages that affect the way you see yourself. These unhealthy thoughts can become the voice in your head (your self-talk) telling you exactly what the person who offended you told you. As you begin to address past abuse, one way you can heal is to challenge your self-talk and let go of the negative thought patterns you find there.

4- Be kind and loving to yourself.

It's important to show kindness and love to yourself as you work to move past hurt feelings. This can take time, but doing things like taking good care of yourself, saying things that lift you up, and showing self-compassion can help. 

Praise yourself every day, such as looking in the mirror and finding something positive about your appearance. For example, you might say to yourself, "My hair looks so shiny and beautiful today!" Show self-compassion for yourself, by writing a letter of understanding for yourself from a friend's perspective. In the letter, tell yourself encouragement for things like a good friend might do. For example, you could say something like, “I know how difficult this experience has been for you, but I am so proud of you for working towards healing! You have so much strength and you amaze me every day!”

5- Avoid blaming yourself. 

If you have been emotionally abused, you may have gotten the (incorrect) message that it is your fault in some way or that you deserve it. Think again. "It's not about you. It's about the abuser's need to control you." “Remind yourself — over and over, if necessary — that it is not your fault.” While you may take responsibility for what happened, remind yourself that abusers choose to be abusive. , but remember that abuse is one way a person chooses to exercise power. Every abuser chooses to act in an offensive manner. Know that the person is responsible for their behavior, and that you are not responsible for their words and behavior.

6. Engage in self-care. 

When you begin to pay attention to your needs, you will have more energy, support, and nutrients to overcome the difficulties you face. Many victims of abuse remember that their only goal is to please the abuser. You may have forgotten your likes, dislikes, passions, hobbies, etc. To begin the process of recovering from emotional abuse, you will need to rediscover who you once were and who you want to become.

• Start small: do something you love. Ask yourself what you want to do. Have you ever wanted to join the bowling team, go to a drawing class or learn to swim? Do it! And then, do something else you've been wanting to do. This is your time to take back your mind and your life.

• Make your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs a priority.. Part of the process of healing emotional abuse is taking care of yourself. When you're in an abusive relationship, you can quickly lose sight of what a normal, healthy lifestyle should look like.

7- Cut all ties. 

You may want to plan revenge, show how much better you are now, or somehow get an ending with the person who offended you. To move forward and heal properly, it is best to cut ties with the person who offended you. If you live with your abuser, get out immediately. While recovering, avoid places where you might bump into him. If you feel this is too hard for you, remind yourself that this person has chosen to constantly hurt you and that you are unwilling to take any more harm from this person. 

Delete this person's phone number, remove any contacts on social media, and avoid any contact with this person. You may also need to change your home locks, obtain an unregistered phone number, or even file a restraining order if threats or harassment persist.

Sources:

mindwellnyc.com/how-to-heal-from-emotional-abuse-in-relationships

health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-heal-from-emotional-abuse

wikihow.com/Heal-from-Emotional-Abuse