Break the Cycle of Abuse

Abuse is an ongoing cycle that is hard to break. It tends to follow a pattern you may recognize:

1. Tension. The abuser gets tense, angry or depressed and tension builds.
2. Incident. Something sets off an incident and the abuser strikes - physically or verbally.
3. Make up. The abuser apologizes, makes excuses and may blame you. They often promise to change.
4. "Honeymoon." The abuser is forgiven and they may be quite nice for a while.
5. Repeat. The abuser repeats the abuse, often worse and more frequently.

The longer the cycle continues, the more it breaks you down and unravels your self-esteem. You start to feel helpless; you may blame yourself for the abuse, or even feel like you deserve it. You don't.

It's important that you recognize your situation and get help. You can break the cycle of abuse. All it takes is one call...