“You don’t ever have to tolerate people who treat you poorly. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, a family member, or a partner. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known them for or how nice they may have been to you in the past – you’re allowed to call people out on their abusive behavior. You’re allowed to set boundaries about what you are and are not willing to tolerate. You’re allowed to vocalize how their abuse makes you feel. You’re allowed to share those feelings and experiences with other people. And if necessary, you’re allowed to leave and distance yourself. You have every right to stand up and say, “I love you and I really want you to be a part of my life, but I can’t continue to allow you to treat me this way. I can’t continue to sacrifice my wellbeing for the sake of maintaining this connection. So if things don’t change, I’m going to have to cut you out of my life. Not because I don’t care about you or respect you, but because I care about and respect myself.“”