Emotional abuse is any kind of abuse that is emotional rather than physical in nature. It occurs when one person subjects or exposes another person to intentionally harmful behaviour that may result in anxiety, depression and psychological trauma. The types of emotional abuse may be (i) verbal abuse such as blaming, insulting, labeling, threatening, swearing, etc. (ii) non verbal abuse such as ignoring, rejection, bullying, spying, etc. Some of the techniques to deal with emotional abuse are

1. Accept that emotional abuse is not because of you i.e. don’t justify the actions of the abuser. 

2. Respond assertively to the abuser but seek distance from him/her. 

3. Give yourself time to heal. 

4. Prioritize your self-care, e.g., eating right, exercise, etc. 

5. Mobilise support from family and friends. If needed, seek professional help.

If I realize that I have been emotionally abused by my good friend I will adopt the following steps.

1. Disengage from the friendship and set personal boundaries 

2. Understand that I am not the cause of abuse and so respond assertively to the abuser 

3. Practice self care and give myself time to heal 

4. If necessary seek guidance from other friends or my family / teachers.