Many people struggle with domestic violence each year. It is a sad fact that many people end up living with abusers who cause them injury, fear, and worry each and every day. It can often seem like there is nothing that you can do as a victim of domestic violence.
Thankfully, retaining a domestic violence lawyer can help you to stop domestic violence in its tracks. Getting an Order of Protection is the first critical step toward keeping your abuser from harming you ever again. There are also additional tactics that you can take to help stop the cycle of domestic violence in your life.
Self-Control Can Stop Domestic Violence
While it is not the only potential solution related to preventing domestic violence, the self-control theory is often a great way to manage dangerous people in your life who have the potential to harm you again. You will find that it is impossible to control the person who wants to scare or harm you without the help of your lawyer, but you can control the actions that you take while you are involved in a domestic violence situation.
Self-control might seem impossible when it comes to stopping domestic violence. After all, you are scared, and you might be fighting for your life. However, it is critical for domestic violence victims to be aware that throughout the process of securing an Order of Protection and taking legal action against their abuser, they need to control their own actions carefully.
If you take violent actions toward your abuser, you could negate your efforts to control their behavior and hold them legally accountable. It can muddy the waters to react to your abuser with violence or to try to take matters into your own hands to control the behavior of the person who is harming or scaring you.
Your lawyer will advise you about the various ways that you can handle domestic violence, but they will always tell you that you must remain in control of your own actions when it comes to interactions with your abuser. You need to stay clear of them if at all possible and you need to refrain from interaction with them.
While you might not be able to avoid your abuser at all times if you are still in the process of moving away from their location or if you work with them, you will need to be able to count on yourself to control the interactions that you have with them while your lawyer works on your case.
What Are the Four Types of Self-Control?
There are four types of self-control that are often referenced in these situations. You will need to work on all of these forms of self-control when you are managing your interactions with an abuser. The only thing that you can actively control in these situations are your own actions.
1. Physical Movement
You can control where you go, who you interact with, and how you react to your abuser if you see them while you are driving around town, hanging out with friends, or at work. You can control your actions with regard to moving toward or away from them, touching them, acting with aggression toward them, or even running away or panicking.
Your control over your physical movement can allow you to remove yourself from dangerous situations with ease, and you should be willing to use this out if you run into your abuser during the legal process to control their behavior toward you.
2. Emotional Control
You actually have more control over your emotions than you probably think that you do. Most of us can actually compartmentalize our emotions fairly readily if we make the effort. You can unpack your fear, anger, or frustration once you are away from the person who wants to harm you, but you should keep your emotions in check when you are around them.
The more you control your emotions, the more rationally you will be able to think when you are forced to be around your abuser during the process of taking legal action against them.
3. Concentration
You are in control over how much you choose to concentrate on someone who is making your life difficult. You are also in control of your concentration when you are removing yourself from situations and staying away from interactions that should be avoided.
4. Impulse Control
It can be tempting to run from your abuser, to attack them in return, or to engage in verbal interactions with them while legal action is being taken against them. You should not do this, even if you want to in the moment. Controlling your impulses can help you to stay safe, to abide by the terms of the Order of Protection, and to stay away from someone who is not healthy for you to be around.
Self-Control Can Help You to Avoid Ongoing Domestic Violence
It is not your fault that you are being abused by someone who you have chosen to live with or interact with. However, you can take some control over the situation that you are in by exercising self-control while your lawyer takes legal against your abuser. The Order of Protection that you will file to take legal action against your abuser also requires you to stay away from them. This is a two-way street, and you will need to abide by the protection order just as much as your abuser.
Having a skilled legal team helping you out with your case can make a big difference. Make sure that you secure an experienced lawyer to help you to understand your rights and the actions that you should take while you are dealing with someone who has exposed you to acts of domestic violence. Self-control is at the heart of coping with this kind of violent threat, and you will need to use the tips and tricks in this guide to keep you safe while you take legal action against your abuser.
