Gaslighting is one of the most cruel and damaging forms of emotional abuse. It’s essentially a game of mind control.
If someone is gaslighting you, their goal is to destroy your self-esteem.
They will tear you down until you are so insecure and afraid, you will have nothing left but them. You are left weak, confused, and helplessly under their control.
If any of these feel familiar, you may be a victim of this abuse.
1. You start to question your sanity.
You may remember something in vivid detail, but a gaslighter will assure you otherwise.
They may say things in anger, but if you point it out, they will deny using a specific word or tone in order to call you a liar.
After a while, you no longer trust even your own memories.
2. You are constantly blaming yourself.
A gaslighter will convince you that anything bad is your fault.
They will never accept any responsibility and will just continuously put you down and turn things back on you.
3. You are frequently told you are too sensitive or just overreacting.
They may assault you or call you names just to spark a reaction from you.
If you do react, they will accuse you of being overly dramatic and unnecessarily picking a fight.
4. You are no longer able to make decisions.
They will belittle you, laugh at you, and tell you that your opinions and feelings don’t matter.
You will no longer have the confidence to assert yourself or express any form of an opinion, even in a simple decision.
5. You withdraw from everyone else around you.
You feel so depressed and anxious all of the time that it’s impossible to be around even close friends and family.
A gaslighter wants you isolated so that you have no choice but to stay under their control.
6. You are constantly apologizing.
Your self-confidence is so shot that you now just blindly accept that everything is your fault. You apologize mainly out of fear and shame.
You would do anything to avoid a confrontation even when you've done nothing wrong.
7. You no longer remember who you were.
Over time, you will forget who you were before this relationship.
The things that you once liked or had are in the past, and you are left with nothing but a shell of your former self.
8. You feel that you will never be good enough.
No matter how hard you try, nothing you say or do satisfies them. You try so hard to regain their affection only to fail.
If you feel any of these things, GET OUT. You are in a toxic relationship that will only continue to destroy you.
You probably feel too ashamed and guilty to leave, but remember that this is not your fault. You are being manipulated into feeling this way.
You are not crazy. You are not alone.
And you CAN get past this.
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