Domestic violence can often look like physical violence involving the use of physical force in an attempt to hurt your partner; sexual violence involving the force, manipulation, or coercion to engage in sexual activities when a partner cannot or will not consent; stalking or an unwanted continued amount of aggressive attention, unwanted contact, or threats towards the target or their loved ones; and psychological aggression involving emotional abuse intended to harm the victim. There are many other forms of domestic violence that can be recognized include financial abuse, religious abuse, lateral abuse, and legal abuse; the commonality of the abuse is one person’s intent to harm someone. 

As my mind begins to run through the pranks I’ve personally fallen victim to, I’m reminded of a bitter truth- April Fools Day is coming up.. I remain on edge all day because of my theatrical responses, think Nathan Lane in “The Birdcage”, that provide pranksters with the response they crave the most. I timidly check around corners and behind doors of empty rooms, accept every gesture of kindness with suspicion such as “what if this doughnut isn’t filled with delicious Bavarian cream but toothpaste?” On April 1^st all I see is a big target on my back that signals to others I am free to tric, and I mentally prepare myself for the jump scare or prank that is inevitable. The irony of this tension is that I fall victim to tricks every day of the year; we all do. Instead of an outsider pranking us, as is tradition on the first of April, it is our minds that prank us every day. Inaccurate thoughts, or cognitive distortions, are thoughts that lead to negative thought patterns and emotional distress. Most of us experience these distortions daily and they can stem from a variety of reasons such as anxiety, insecurity, trauma, or more.