24/06/2026
Many people look forward to relaxing and enjoying their summer holidays. But for some, victim of abusive behavior can turn this restful time into a stressful one that adds extra weight to their suitcase, even if it doesn’t look like it from "the outside ».
This post is not meant to be negative or critical. Its main goal is to help you spot patterns that could badly harm your mental and physical health over time.
▪️Harassment can manifest as obsessive thoughts, jealousy, or envy, often stemming from what someone or a group thinks or pretends to know about another person. It can happen at work, in school, or within families. Reasons for harassment can include differences in beliefs, lifestyle, clothing, or appearance (sometimes mistaken for a compliment), social media, or money.
▪️Stalking is a severe form of harassment. It is the equivalent of a hunting race. The stalker believes the other person shares their feelings. This pattern is strongly linked to sexual excitement and frustration. This can involve pursuing the victim at work, in the neighborhood, at school, at events, or in public places, and sometimes pretending to be their partner.
▪️Gaslighting is a serious form of psychological manipulation. The abuser tries to make the victim doubt their thoughts, actions, memories, words, skills, logic, and even their past traumas. The abuser usually denies causing any harm. Gaslighting can occur in families with sexual, physical, and psychological abuse, in toxic workplaces, sports clubs, and neighborhoods.
When people bravely speak out against abuse and try to break the cycle, they are often blamed and seen as outsiders in their community. Abusers may view this as a threat to the group or company. Many abusers share traits such as a lack of personality, fear of being rejected, and a desire to invade and sneak into their victims’ privacy, to the point of breaking the law. Privacy is a basic human right, not a luxury! Setting tools and boundaries are the best ways to protect yourself from feeling overwhelmed, hurt, or overreacting. Sadly, in this XXI century, society still tends to judge the consequences rather than the origin.