10/28/2026
💜 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month 💜
Do you know what domestic abuse looks like?
When you hear the words domestic abuse, what comes to mind? Bruises? Black eyes? Physical violence?
But what if I told you that domestic abuse doesn’t always leave visible scars?
Domestic abuse can look like:
💜 Emotional abuse: Constant criticism, humiliation, manipulation, or making someone feel worthless.
💜 Verbal abuse: Name-calling, threats, intimidation, or using words to tear someone down.
💜 Financial abuse: Controlling someone’s money, preventing them from working, or making them financially dependent.
💜 Psychological abuse: Gaslighting, making someone question their own reality, or using fear to maintain control.
💜 Isolation: Slowly cutting someone off from friends, family, and the people who support them.
💜 Coercive control: Monitoring someone’s every move, controlling who they talk to, what they wear, or where they go.
💜 Physical abuse: Hitting, pushing, grabbing, restraining, or any other form of physical violence.
But here’s another important question: Can you recognize the signs in someone you know?
Sometimes the signs are subtle. Someone who was once outgoing becomes quiet and withdrawn. Someone who constantly apologizes, seems afraid of upsetting their partner, makes excuses for their partner’s behavior, or slowly disappears from the lives of friends and family.
And sometimes, the person experiencing abuse doesn’t even recognize what’s happening to them.
Domestic abuse doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, income, education, or background.
Abuse isn’t always about physical violence. It’s about power and control.
This October, let’s do more than wear purple. Let’s educate ourselves, recognize the warning signs, listen without judgment, and support those who may be suffering in silence.
💜 You don’t have to have bruises to be a victim of abuse.
💜 You don’t have to be physically hurt for your experience to matter.
💜 And you don’t have to face it alone.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or at thehotline.org.
Let’s start a conversation that could change someone’s life.
