The term “gaslighting” is something I have heard often and yet have not explored. It is incredibly important to know the methods of gaslighting, as it is a tactic to manipulate and make one question their sanity. In its essence, it is emotional abuse. Thus, this leads us to the signs of gaslighting.
- The gaslighter blatantly lies or covers up the truth.
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At first, it may seem obvious that a person is creating a huge lie. However, manipulation tactics in gaslighting make you second guess the truth, so the more one gaslights, the more they are able to make someone believe a lie.
- You question what actually happened.
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This is the hard truth of gaslighting: the gaslighter is able to manipulate a person to the point where they question their reality. If you find yourself wondering if what you think happened is true because a person twists reality, it is likely that this is a result of gaslighting.
- You think or feel like you are crazy.
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This goes hand in hand with the previous sign. If you feel crazy because someone is manipulating you to question what the truth is, remember that your feelings, emotion, and reality are valid! You are entitled to feel your emotions and live your reality, and nobody should make you feel otherwise.
- you notice your self-esteem dipping
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If you are not feeling as confident in yourself or your reality as you used to, it is possible that this is a result of someone attempting to alter your reality through manipulation and lies. Gaslighting can take a huge toll on self-esteem, especially if the gaslighter is attempting to victimize themselves in order to make you think differently of what happened and question your emotions.
- Their actions contradict their words and promises.
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If you notice a trend of unreliability and contradictory statements that do not match up to their actions, it is possible that their intentions are to blur your reality and manipulate you. While it is possible for everyone to be hypocritical at times, a pattern of broken promises and claims mixed with making you question the truth is gaslighting.