Is Your Partner Emotionally Abusive? 8 Signs That Say So

What could be worse than being in an emotionally abusive relationship? It not only disturbs you mentally but also damages your self-esteem. Emotional abuse can be understood as a behaviour which is intended to control, overpower and manipulate the victim. It works as a psychological trauma that creates a power imbalance between the abuser and the victim.

Emotional abuse in a relationship can be thorny and intractable. Sometimes, the victim is unable to understand if emotional abuse is taking place in the relationship or not. Initially, the victim will perceive the situation as a bad phase of his/her relationship.

Before it is too late, one needs to understand if he/she is going through a subtle emotional abuse or not. The below-mentioned signs will help you with the same.

1. Your Partner Always Says Things That Make You Upset

In a relationship, the couple always cares for each other. Similarly, you and your partner might be concerned for each other. Sometimes you might speak something that can be unpleasant for your partner or vice versa.
But if this happens every single time in your relationship, then you might be going through emotional abuse. You might not realise but you need to think if your partner's word makes you upset every now and then.

Also Read: Are You In A Co-dependent Relationship? 7 Signs That Say Your Relationship Is Co-dependent

2. Your Partner's Behaviour Puts You In Constant Fear

This is one of the most common signs of being in an emotionally abusive relationship. If you are scared to express your feeling to your partner every time just because you are intimidated by how your partner will react, you are probably a victim of emotional abuse.

3. Your Partner Always Checks Your Phone

Checking someone's phones, call logs and texts is a sign of intruding their privacy boundaries. If you find your partner doing the same thing quite often then you must take the sign seriously.

4. Your Partner Makes You Feel Alone And Left Out

At times, we might feel lonely due to the busy schedule and fast-paced lifestyle. But if you are feeling this all time, you must understand your partner might be the reason behind this. Your partner might disassociate you from your family and friends saying he/she is concerned for you and doesn't want anyone to harm you.

How Gaslighters Manipulate And Control Their Relationships

5. Your Partner Controls Your Finances And Lifestyle

Couples always set some rules to handle their expenses and maintain their lifestyle. This is actually a good thing. One of you might be formulating the plans and guidelines for both of you.

But if your partner controls you every single expense, your bank account, your lifestyle and what you should be eating, strictly deciding your clothes, etc., then you should re-evaluate your relationship. Showing concern and care is a different thing but controlling every small detail is another thing.

6. Your Partner Monitors Your Whereabouts

As a couple, you may set some guidelines and rules for each other out of concern. But trying to know every single detail of your whereabouts and calling you continuously to check where you are, with whom you are and when you would return is not always the same concern. It can be a subtle emotional abuse as well.

7. Your Partner Makes You Feel Guilty

This is one of the most common signs of emotional abuse. The abuser always blames the victim to be the reason behind any wrong happening. As a result, the victim thinks, whatever is happening, is his/her fault. The victim faces low self-confidence. If you are going through the same you need to think for yourself.

8. Your Partner Behaves Clingy

One of the signs of subtle emotional abuse can be your partner being clingy to you. He/she might demand some unrealistic time from you. Your partner might not be willing to give any personal space to anyone and will ask you to spend your entire time with them only.

Going through an emotionally abusive relationship won't make you happy and will always make you feel stressed. You need to identify these signs and act accordingly. You must understand your self-esteem and happiness matter the most to live a happy life.