Hey fellas, happy Monday, hope we had a great day, most of us had to return to work and other engagements after the festivities, for me it was generally a good day though.
A friend of mine was once in a relationship with this guy, initially, they were sweet and all, and the guy treated her well, but as time went on, he began to show his true colors. He would verbally and emotionally abuse her.
My friend was someone who was on the thick side, not so big, but was fleshy in the right places, but I think he had a problem with that because he would always tell her how fat she looked, comparing her to others, pointing out how they were skinny and she was fat.
The whole emotional abuse really got to my friend, as she lost her bubbly self and turned out to be a shadow of herself. We her friends could see right through his act and knew that he wasn't the right person for her. We tried advising her, to leave him, as he didn't worth her, but our advice fell on deaf ears as she was always making excuses for his actions and this really really annoyed me. I was like girl, can't you see that this guy is messing with you, making you lose your self-esteem and self-confidence.
After some time though, I think she realized that she was just wasting her time in that relationship because she told me that it seemed like she was in a relationship with herself and the fact that he was always putting her down was also so bad. I was glad she was able to get herself back and come out from the abusive relationship because some never do, they instead get married to their abusers and the whole cycle continues.
Here are some reasons I feel that make victims of toxic relationships or friendships continue in the relationship:
Most abusers find a way of isolating their victims from the people they love, thereby making it difficult for them to easily seek help, so they keep on abusing them until most times the abused gets tired and either seeks help or resort to taking drastic measure like taking their own lives.
Some are manipulators, they would often emotionally blackmail their victims into remaining with them, tactically making the victims stay with them and feel like it's the least they can do, some go as far as lying about their health or other major issues, just to make sure they hold them down in their shackles.
Some Ways to Reduce the Rate at Which People Remain in Toxic Relationships
Education
Young people should be taught extensively on the need to only stay in healthy relationships, they should also be taught the signs to look out for if their friend, partner or even family member is toxic to their well-being, they should also be taught how to quickly leave or avoid such people once they notice the signs that indicate toxicity. Education and awareness should be a means to help people stay out of toxic relationships.
Support and Resources
Support groups should be created where the victims of these situations can be free to share their experiences without being judged by anyone. Also, things like helplines that can be called upon for help or assistance or even just a listening ear should be provided to help victims.
Financial Empowerment
Since finance can also be a reason why some persons remain with toxic people, because they depend on them financially, a scheme should be provided to empower the victims to grow and develop themselves both physically and financially to enable them to break loose from such relationships.
Thank you for stopping by ❤