Self-Gaslighting Yourself Can Look Like..

Many of us have likely heard of the term “gaslighting” by now. It is a form of emotional abuse that occurs when minimization and manipulation is used to make someone question their reality. Sometimes, we can internalize this behavior from the abuser. We internalize this behavior and begin “self-gaslighting.” Gaslighting yourself can sound a lot like:

“Maybe I am being dramatic. It probably wasn’t so bad.”

“That wasn’t actually trauma what I experienced.”

“Maybe they didn’t actually mean what they said.”

“This is all just in my head.”

“I must be too sensitive.”

“This is all my fault.”

“Why am I like this?”

If any of this sounds familiar, you may have had experiences with self-gaslighting. When this happens, it can really take a toll on our self-esteem, confidence, and self-trust. You are VALID and I am sorry that you’ve had experiences in your life where you were invalidated. You are more than deserving of healing and having both a loving and compassionate relationship with yourself. No matter how isolating it may feel, please know that you are not alone. It is possible to unlearn self-gaslighting, but it takes healing, time, consistency, and plenty of self-compassion. My next blog will explore how we can begin the process of unlearning this, strengthen the relationship that we have with ourselves, and begin to feel more grounded in our truth.