A friend shared this article about a month ago and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Take a few minutes to read it because it's truly interesting. All set? Ok, let's go...

This term is thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean. Well, let's start at the beginning. The term "gaslighting" actually comes from a play called, you guessed it, Gas Light. In the play, the husband periodically turns down the gas lamps on the stage and when the wife comments on it he tells her that she's crazy. It's as simple as that.

It's not always bruises and black eyes. It's not always broken bones and visible scars. This is what TV shows and movies have made us to believe that abuse looks like. Yes, it absolutely includes those things. Yes, people who deal with physical abuse live in fear for their lives every day... always terrified of what their abuser will do next. But the subtlety of emotional abuse is much, much more than that.

Dreams can take the form of many things. Maybe it's our aspirations for the future, or our subconscious working out solutions while we sleep. Maybe we see things the way we want them to be or replay scenarios that didn't work out well the first time.

I've been very depressed over the last few weeks which has caused me to retreat into isolation. This is perfectly normal and many people feel the need to do this when depressed or anxious or just general sad about something. We all cope with things in different ways.

I've had people ask me how I stay positive with everything I've been through. My usual response is, "what choice do I have?" While that's true, it's a little more in depth than that.