It is normal to feel conflicted about doing what’s best for you and/or your children. The emotional part of your brain may still hold onto hope. You may worry about how it will affect the other person. You may feel shame, especially if your abuser has worked hard to convince others that you’re the problem. All of this is emotional backlash—and you cannot let it scare you out of survival. You do not need everyone to agree with you. You don’t even need to feel good about it rig

This tool matters most for people who have been emotionally destabilized. If you’re constantly being told you’re “too sensitive” or “overreacting,” you start to lose your grip on reality. You stop trusting your gut. And if you grew up in an emotionally neglectful or abusive household, you may never have learned what healthy love or conflict even looks like. That means you’re more likely to normalize harmful patterns or stay too long in dangerous emotional terrain.