Is your behavior truly violence free?

Healthy relationships require self-awareness. That means you want to find ways to express how you’re feeling, practice active listening, and work together to find solutions — even when you disagree. By practicing healthier relationship habits and modeling them for others, you contribute to ending intimate partner abuse.

Is your behavior in family relationships, at the workplace, and in friendships free from emotional, verbal, and physical aggression? Honestly ask yourself if you occasionally exhibit these behaviors:

• Embarrass or make fun of your partner in front of your friends or family?
• Minimize your partner’s accomplishments or goals?
• Manipulate your partner to make the decision you want them to make?
• Call, text, or email your partner several times a day to check up rather than check in?
• Use drugs or alcohol as an excuse for saying hurtful things to your partner?
• Blame your partner for how you feel or act?
• Prevent your partner from spending time with family or friends?
• Verbally or emotionally manipulated someone to get even or gain power?

Healthy relationships take time and energy. Leading a violence-free life requires discipline and often requires us to recognize unhealthy learned behaviors. The only way to have a healthy relationship is to work at it, and working at it takes practice.