Family Violence Prevention Month: Help: Tip #6
We enter relationships with love, hope, and excitement for the future. But when things don’t go as we hoped, we often feel a mix of emotions.
It is normal for people who are victims of domestic violence to feel conflicted about their partner and their situation. They may feel guilt and anger, or hope and despair, or love and fear.
To be most helpful, it is important that you let the person know that this is normal. It is normal to still feel love for the person you chose, even if they act like a different and scary person sometimes.
As a helpful and caring person, you will reinforce that while it is normal to feel conflicted, it is not normal to live in fear of being hurt – and violence is not okay.
Understanding that we each have our own lived experiences, and this person may not have a model for a healthy relationship and may have gradually become accustomed to the cycle of violence, you can tell them that violence is not part of a healthy and lasting relationship.
Without judging, confirm that domestic violence is dangerous and that you are concerned for their safety.
November is Family Violence Prevention Month, and we will be sharing tips for how you can support your friends and loved ones here all month long.
Please follow along, and share these posts so that those close to you can follow along, too.
