PODCAST · health

Breaking the Silence

by Nicole Dailey

Living with someone who is abusive feels like walking through your own home on eggshells. The place that’s supposed to your safe space becomes unpredictable, tense, and heavy. You learn to read the smallest changes in their tone, their footsteps, their breathing - always trying to guess what version of them you’ll get that day. You become hyper-aware of everything: - the sound of something being slammed,- the shift in their mood,- the look that means things are about to  get worse. Even when they’re clam, you’re not relaxed; you’re waiting. Waiting for the next explosion, the next cruel comment, the next broken object.  You start shrinking yourself, talking softer, doing more, taking blame that isn’t yours; hoping it’ll keep the peace. But nothing ever really keeps the peace. The hardest part is the loneliness. Abuse makes you feel trapped, confused, and isolated. You question yourself. You