subject: How To Protect Yourself If You Are In An Abusive Relationship [print this page] Being in an abusive relationship is about the last place any woman expects themselves to be in. The idea that women want to be in situations like this is a common misconception that people have and an excuse that they give when they don't really want to look for a deeper answer to this problem. If you find that right now you are in the position of being stuck in an abusive relationship and you want some tips to help protect yourself, keep reading.
This is an urgent situation, one that you need to deal with immediately. The sad fact is, that violence in a relationship can erupt to a point where there is no turning back or getting out, and if you don't want that to happen, you have to take some proactive steps before it gets to that point.
Here's how to protect yourself if you are in an abusive relationship:
1) Admit to yourself the reality of the situation.
This is not a time for you to gloss over the reality of what is going on. This is not a time to make excuses and rationalizations. This is a time to be open and honest with yourself about what is going on in your life. It may not feel good to admit that you are in an abusive relationship, but as bad as that may feel, there certainly are worse things that can happen if you do not admit this.
2) Connect with people outside of the relationship as often as possible.
One of the ways that an abuser really gets to trap the woman in an abusive relationship is that he finds a way to cut her off from the people that care about her. He may do this under the guise of needing to move to start a better life, or by implying that her friends are really bad for her and that he is the only one that really cares for her. You NEED to have some people outside of the relationship that you can connect with, that you can reach out to, and so that you don't get too tangled up in his web. Even if you have to be sneaky about this, make sure that you have some connections outside of him.
3) Contact local support groups and shelters for battered women.
You really don't need to feel alone in this situation. Domestic abusive and abusive relationships are unfortunately more common than we often think that they are. Luckily, there are places that you can reach out to. Find out what the phone numbers to your local support groups or shelters for battered women are. Reach out to them.
