Although 2020 was a tough and odd year for all of us in so many ways (it sort of felt like we were on house arrest at times), I found it to be a welcome period to recharge and reset my life.

It was a time to slow down and spend more time close to home. So many of us were pushed out of our comfort zones only to grow stronger.

Every time I make a mistake in my career or life, it becomes wisdom and a lesson I don’t have to learn again. We are all growing – every single day.

I want to thank 2020 for many reasons because it certainly taught me a lot.

Gaslighting is a term that many people who have been emotionally abused unfortunately know about.

Wikipedia describes it as a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or members of a group, hoping to make targets question their own memory, perception and sanity.

The term owes its origin to a 1938 play called Gas Light and its 1944 film adaptation.

Gaslighting is commonly used by toxic and abusive individuals to diminish, punish and gain control over someone.

Why is gaslighting so hard to identify, and so mentally and emotionally damaging?

How can you get clear that you are being gaslit, remove and protect yourself and recover from its insidious effects?

As a victim of emotional abuse and gaslighting, I will try to address some of these questions in this article.