Instead, try “direct, emotionally honest, assertive communication,” says Andrea Brandt, author of 8 Keys to Eliminating Passive-Aggressiveness.

She suggests validating the other person’s feelings by acknowledging where they come from, even if you don’t agree with them. For example, “X, I understand you’re upset because you have to move your night out in order to have dinner with my family. However, It’s very important to me and I appreciate you doing it.”

As relationships therapist Elizabeth Earnshaw points out in an insightful post on the topic (above), gaslighting is something “most people don’t consciously choose to use” in relationships: rather it’s a learned response.

With greater awareness, you can replace it with healthier reactions that help you and the people around you feel valued and secure in the relationship you both share.

Images: Getty

The one unexpected sign you may be gaslighting the people around you