In My Thoughts

ISOLATION Keeping you away from friends, family, or other people. Examples can be when your partner makes you choose between them and your friends, insisting you spend all your time with them, making you question your own judgement of friends and family, and making you feel dependent on them for money, love or acceptance. At some point in your life, you've been isolated, for one reason or another.  It could have been self-imposed, you were forced into it, or it was a malice act by your significant other.  In any case, you need to understand, that isolation of any kind is not a good thing.  It's not healthy for the mind, or self esteem. When your significant other isolates you from your family and friends, it's their way of saying, "I'm insecure with myself, and I'm afraid that you'll realize that I'm useless and leave me someday, so I'm going to do all I can to isolate you from those who can see through me like a jelly fish, so th...

MANIPULATION When a partner tries to influence your decisions, actions or emotions. Manipulation is not always easy to spot, but some examples are convincing you to do things you wouldn’t normally feel comfortable with, ignoring you until they get their way, and using gifts and apologies to influence your decisions or get back in your good graces. What? "ignoring you until they get their way"? "Using gifts to influence your decisions"?  Wow, some girls just have all the luck! All I wanted was to be left alone.  I didn't even want to go home after work.  So clearly, some abusers are capable to giving you your space, in the form of "ignoring you" .  I never got peace in my environment.  Having someone in your face all the time, because they're not satisfied with your answers to their questions is exhausting, causes anxiety (which I was diagnosed with years ago) due to the environment I was living in, and it's just plain bullying. T...