Short messages on Bullying/abuse from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Domestic violence threats are threats made within the context of an abusive relationship – threatening harm to themselves or to someone else like family or friends.
Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself.
Isolation as a form of abuse happens when someone is stopping someone seeing their friends and family, keeping them inside and not letting them go out.
Financial abuse happens when someone is stealing money or bank cards, controlling finances and what someone spends, and not letting someone work.
People have feelings come up that are difficult to tolerate, and unconsciously send them away. This is known as repression. To avoid these uncomfortable feelings, our minds often employ defense mechanisms like pain or anxiety.
You don’t need to bully yourself, pressure yourself, or scare yourself with your thoughts. The first step towards self-compassion is noticing these thoughts as they arise.
You need to care about the fact that you’re suffering before you can really work toward changing it.
Abusing yourself psychologically has consequences. Just as a child might rebel if treated abusively or neglectfully, the body can rebel as well in the form of pain, anxiety, or depression.
There are three primary ways that people psychologically abuse themselves: self-criticism, putting pressure on themselves, and unnecessary fear.
In the UK, one in 14 children aged 11-17 (6.9%) have experienced severe physical violence at the hands of an adult.