Don’t Just Stand There—Do Something!

Whatever you decide to do, do something. Even if you choose to simply walk away, don’t ignore how the verbal abuser’s words made you feel. Unless you are a zombie or an alien from another planet, you have feelings that will emerge following this psychologically traumatic event, although you might not realize it at first as you slough off what happened.
Later on, you might develop a type of post-traumatic verbal shock syndrome. If you don’t deal with your feelings immediately, you will have to deal with the emotional consequences later. So talk about what happened to you—what awful things someone said to you and how he or she said it. Tell all your friends, your family, your clergy, and your therapist. These people will support you.