SILENT TREATMENT 101

Without beating about the bush, silent treatment is a form of emotional abuse used to control another person. It can happen in marriage, in friendships, by bosses, by colleagues and even religious leaders. Every human has the potential to dish out silent treatment and I don't mean sulking for a few hours. Silent treatment means intentionally ignoring another person, refusing to acknowledge their presence verbally or through any other method. Its now very popular on social media. 

If you are in a marriage and receiving this treatment from your spouse, you need to seek therapy and counselling because it can rob you of your self-esteem and self-worth, which is always the intention of the person who is demonstrating this behaviour.

Knowledge is Power

This post is written to enlighten you about silent treatment so that you are in the know. Knowledge they say is power.

Here Are Five Truths About Silent Treatment

1. It is a passive aggressive form of emotional abuse. It’s  sneaky behaviour that the receiver cant put their finger on, but it makes them feel uncomfortable.

2. It is used as a control mechanism.

3. It is a way to inflict pain without physically hurting you. It actually affects the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain that processes physical pain which means even if someone is not physically beating you, it can affect you the same way.

4. It is used to gain power. You can’t communicate with someone who is intentionally not speaking to you.

5. It is a pattern used often by emotionally manipulative people to gain control.  

How to Overcome The Onslaught Of Silent Treatment

1. Ask yourself if you did anything wrong? If you did something wrong, apologise. But if you did nothing wrong, don’t apologize because you are lying to yourself and not being truly authentic. Silent treatment is a form of dictatorship and is not acceptable for your emotional well-being.

2. Do you like being controlled? Do you like being abused? When you accept the silent treatment, you are allowing people to control you.

3. If the relationship is important to you, tell the person what you will and won’t accept. You need to hit in the bud when it starts, especially if you are a newly married otherwise it will become a habit.  If you are single, I do hope you can spot these red flags before you say, ‘’I do’’, otherwise you will have a very challenging marriage.

4. If you not married to this person it's just better to ignore the silent treatment by getting on with your life. Become mentally strong so that such behavior doesnt bother you. Without confidence in who you are, your entire self worth may depend on how others feel about you. Dont even bother asking any questions. People that display silent treatment usually come back when they see they are not affecting you but by then its too late. You have moved on. 

What Are The Two Most Important Things in Life?

Health and time: Don’t allow people to control your time or damage your health. You only have one life, so please protect your emotional well-being. Never feel ashamed of yourself if you are going through silent treatment. Speak to someone about it. It helps to talk.

Have you been through silent treatment before and how did you handle it? Or are you the person giving out Silent Treatment. When we know better: we do better. There's always a better way. I think. 

If this blessed you in any way, please share it with others that it might help.

God bless xxx

About Author

RiRi Okoye is a dedicated Events Planner, business trainer and speaker, who is passionate about serving clients at Majestically Rare Events to the highest standards. Only the best will do. She is also the founder of Raising Confident Girls Initiative with a clear vision. A world where every girl is confident.