When your dad tries to guilt trip you into visiting him: âwell I guess Iâll just spend the weekend all by myself...â
You say âglad to know weâre on the same page.â Slowly, he will have to adapt to just outright telling you what he thinks instead of playing mind games.
When your friend tries to hint that theyâre mad at you without saying anything: âOh, Iâm fine, clearly you donât need to worry about me,â
You say: âIâm glad youâre doing well. Call me if you want to talk, though!â Soon enough, they will accept that they canât be passive aggressive with you.
When your boyfriend says: âAll your friends are great, I really love *insert male friend* especially.â
You say: âIâm so glad you like my friends! I should invite them back soon.â He needs to understand that if he has a problem with your friends, he needs to just voice his concerns instead of being sarcastic and accusatory.
As someone who has lived through several toxic relationships and has an abusive father, I think one of the most important manipulation tools a toxic person has is excessive subtext and hidden meanings in their conversation. It hides all of the actual fighting from the eyes of onlookers while still hurting you, which is scary and makes you feel like youâre making it all up. Donât put up with this bs. Make them stop hiding.
Make. Them. Say. What. They. Mean.
