Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Was this emotional abuse?

157 replies

LucyLou96 · 12/03/2025 16:26

I broke up with my ex of many years 3 months ago. Logically I know the answer is yes, but what I'm struggling to comprehend is the severity of it and keep downplaying it to myself. Here are some instances:

I was lying on his bedroom floor crying and he became more concerned with his parents hearing it and was fed up with me being upset and not telling him why, and even though I told him not to touch me he grabbed me and picked me up aggressively and put me onto the bed to try and make me calm down.

When my depression was bad he'd tell me my moping around was making him miserable. One time he said me wanting to end my life made him want to end his too. Another time he said that me being suicidal was me saying I wanted to leave him.

Sometimes when I expressed a desire to self harm he would threaten to take away things like days out to make me not do it.

He told me that he was worried me being so shy (I'm neurodiverse) would cause his friends and family to dislike me.

He once said that he doesn't know if he should stick around in this relationship if I just end up killing myself.

One time we had an argument late at night and he said he was fed up with me acting how I was (miserable due to being in chronic discomfort/pain) and made me feel guilty for crying, but wouldn't let me go downstairs so he could sleep. Instead he lay in bed listening to music to block out the sound of my crying

Another time I was keeping him awake by crying, he kicked and pushed me in bed and grabbed me and shouted at me to just stop.

He had a go at me to 'find a solution' for being shy around his family, and got mad when I said there may not be one because I'm autistic and can't help it, then we had a huge argument which lasted two days and he told me that I was making it all about myself instead of how he feels by having to think of reasons to his friends & family why I'm shy (I refused to let him tell them I was autistic at the time)

When I was crying late at night he said if I kept him up by crying and he had to drive home on only 4 hours sleep he'd be very pissed off with me, but then went on his phone and did not respond to me when I told him why I was crying

One time when I was overwhelmed and had been scratching to self harm, then tried to stop myself by holding onto the bed to give my hands something to do, and he got angry with me for keeping him awake. He didn't comfort me when I cried, then when I tried to seek comfort from him by snuggling up to him he kept pushing my head away

When WFH, during a work call I had an anxiety attack and was crying on the floor as I got so worked up about my part during a weekly meeting. He shouted at me how I should just quit if I can’t handle the job and get a lower paying less stressful job. I felt even worse so I crawled into the spare room so he couldn’t see me crying anymore as I didn’t want to make him more pissed off with me

When we were struggling to put a piece of furniture together, whilst I had covid, he got annoyed with me. He called me useless, but wouldn’t let me help, then told me I should at least do something useful. He said things like: "Get out of the way, Shut the fuck up, Whatever princess wants, Do something useful for once, Useless, You’re not helping"

I think everything has become so normalised to me that I struggle to see my own situation, so I'd really appreciate some outsider's opinions on what I've described. Thanks in advance

OP posts:
MaryMary05 · 13/03/2025 13:38

You said earlier he also used to harm himself and threaten suicide. Maybe he was as unwell as you were.

SnoopysHoose · 13/03/2025 16:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

LucyLou96 · 13/03/2025 16:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Why are you adamant I am lying simply because I didn’t tell my life story in my first post? Because I didn't list every single detail?

OP posts:
CrownOfEagleFeathers · 13/03/2025 20:49

LucyLou96 · 13/03/2025 16:14

Why are you adamant I am lying simply because I didn’t tell my life story in my first post? Because I didn't list every single detail?

There were a lot of comments on this thread that were uncalled for. I'm glad they've been deleted now.

I hope you're ok x

LucyLou96 · 14/03/2025 10:14

CrownOfEagleFeathers · 13/03/2025 20:49

There were a lot of comments on this thread that were uncalled for. I'm glad they've been deleted now.

I hope you're ok x

Thank you for your support! I am doing better today. Not sure why so many people felt the need to go after me like that but I guess I should have known better than to seek advice on the internet x

OP posts:
PeggyMitchellsCameo · 14/03/2025 10:17

You have clearly been through a lot.
When someone has abused you, you try to go over it in your brain to try and understand them.
You could try it for the rest of your life and won’t get any answers.
Now concentrate all of your resources on looking after yourself. And take a break from dating.
You are so young you should be having some more enjoyable experiences with friends.
Take it easy, and a day at a time. He’s no longer your problem.

CrownOfEagleFeathers · 14/03/2025 11:58

LucyLou96 · 14/03/2025 10:14

Thank you for your support! I am doing better today. Not sure why so many people felt the need to go after me like that but I guess I should have known better than to seek advice on the internet x

I'm glad you're feeling better today.

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend getting advice from MN about anything you feel particularly sensitive about or where there might be some ambiguity that needs a long explanation. People are so black and white on here and it can end up turning into a mob mentality thing.

It's definitely not personal against you x

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread