An abused woman lives in fear, unable to predict when the next attack will come. She may become isolated from friends and family, and increasingly dependent on her abuser. In these circumstances it can be very hard to make sense of what is really happening. Over time her self-esteem may be worn down. She may start to believe her abuser’s insults. She may blame herself for the abuse, or deny that it is taking place. She may ignore it, hoping that her partner -the man she loves will change. Abused women are not weak, submissive victims. It takes huge strength to live with an abusive partner. Women have to be strong and resourceful, adapting to all kinds of coping strategies to survive each day. Abused women can have a bad impact on the way a person thinks and interacts with the world around them. The chronic exposure to domestic violence—and the stress fear resulting from this exposure—can cause not only immediate physical injury, but also mental shifts that occur as the mind attempts to process trauma or protect the body. Domestic violence affects one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors and can significantly impact one’s mental stability. Increased anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms are commonly observed among survivors of domestic violence. The reason I wrote this paper is because I was raised in domestic violence my whole life and it has affected me so much in my social life. I became so self-centered and hated the feeling of not knowing when the next argument or fight was going to be. Being exposed to domestic violence was a traumatic experience for me, I always thought it would never end and my mom would end up in the hospital. My biggest fear was that I going to grow up and be in an abusive relationship. Having to witness my abused mom, and not able to help has changed me as a child. I felt as though I had to become an adult before I should have been. I…