Leaving an Abusive Relationship 

The worst experience you can ever have is that of being abused by a person you love and trust. However, insisting on staying in the same relationship is worse. Staying in an abusive relationship can be dangerous not only for you, but also for your children. As soon you have realized that you are in an abusive relationship, make haste to take the necessary steps to escape from it.  

1. Talk to Your Friends and Relatives 

Talk to your friends and relatives freely and frankly. Don’t try to hide the fact that you are being abused. If your friends and relatives don’t know what you are going through, they will not be able to help you. Confide in your trusted friends and relatives so that they are in a position to help you and your children when it comes to a show down. 

2. Leave Quietly 

Never make the mistake of telling your abusive spouse that you are leaving. People have been murdered by their abusive spouses for trying to leave!  

Moreover, your attempts to inform your spouse can create a big scene. Your abusive spouse might get more abusive than ever. Otherwise, your partner might dissolve into sweetness and honey and claim that he or she will never be abusive again.  

Abusive partners hardly keep such promises; so don’t believe them. Just pack your bags and quietly leave. 

3. Approach a Shelter 

Don’t stay with your abusive spouse because you have nowhere else to go. You must save your life or what is left of it at any cost. If you don’t have friends or relatives who can take you in, you can approach a shelter. 

4. Don’t Hesitate to Press Charges 

Abuse is definitely against the law; so don’t hesitate or be afraid to press charges. File a formal complaint in the nearest police station. Get a lawyer to represent your interests. If you want the law to help you, you must fully cooperate with the law. 

5. Get Professional Help

You are now out of your abusive relationship. Being free doesn’t mean that you are happy. Naturally, the break up brings with it a series of chaotic emotions. You must come out of it and move on with life.  

Moreover, if your children have witnessed your spouse abusing you, they will need therapy and counseling too. Take the help of qualified professionals and put your life back in order. Yes, you can do it! 

You don’t have to feel guilty about breaking up your abusive relationship. In fact, putting up with abusive behavior is a sign of low self-esteem. When you quietly take abusive behavior from your spouse, you are actually encouraging him or her to be more abusive toward you. NOW is the time to assert yourself and get back your life.