If you haven’t seen #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou (started by Twitter user @bad_dominicana) come across your timeline, brace yourself. This hashtag has become the story of women who’ve dealt with and survived domestic abuse. Through their pain, they remind us that we often forget domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse.

Emotional abuse is REAL, and we ignore it perhaps in the very same way that our community has historically failed to address mental health issues.

#maybeHeDoesntHitYou but threw a huuuge raging weeks long miserable fit coz u cut your hair ‘without his permission’.

— Planet Thickness (@bad_dominicana) May 2, 2016

Regardless of how much you know about emotional abuse, the facts these women share are as telling as they are heart-breaking. Here’s what you can learn from these experiences:

Your feelings are real and they should never be invalidated or ignored.

#maybehedoesnthityou 6 — Photo: Twitter.com/brookeobie

#maybehedoesnthityou 5 — Photo: Twitter.com/azemezi

You shouldn’t even have to feel like your feelings are wrong.

#maybehedoesnthityou 4 — Photo: Twitter.com/richiebrave

Love is a two-way street. You shouldn’t have to give without receiving.

Or compete for someone’s love.

#maybehedoesnthityou 3 — Photo: Twitter.com/wonderwomynist

This includes bending over backward to please them.

#maybehedoesnthityou — Photo: Twitter.com/detricotage

#maybehedoesnthityou 2 — Photo: Twitter.com/chiefelk

You’re perfect just the way you are and no one should try to change that.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this post failed to identify the originator of #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou. The post has since been updated.

If you’re experiencing any kind of domestic violence and feel helpless, please contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7223 or visit www.thehotline.org.

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