I used to think emotional abuse was something that happened to other people. I didn’t think it could happen to me — I’m the “strong friend,” the one everyone comes to for advice.But with him, I became someone I didn’t even recognize. I kept a small notebook in my bag, mostly to vent. One day, I flipped back and realized how many entries started with:“I know he didn’t mean it but…” “Maybe I took it the wrong way…” “Maybe I overreacted…”I didn’t realize how often I was excusing behavior that made me feel small and anxious.The prompt that changed everything was one I wrote by accident: “If a friend told me this exact story, what would I tell her?”That one journal question showed me how deeply I had normalized the disrespect. How much I had been shrinking myself just to keep the peace. I didn’t realize I was emotionally abused until my own words made me see it.

                                                                  - Karter