#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou took the Twitter world by storm in early May and has yet to fade. Emotionally raw and honest, the experiences of women and men being shared over the Internet are bringing the almost never spoken world of emotional and mental abuse to the center of attention in order to shed light on hard-to-recognize toxic relationships.

While victims of physical abuse are left with noticeable scars as terrible reminders of their trauma, victims of emotional and mental abuse often feel overlooked or are left with feelings of insignificance-- as if their own abuse never mattered.

As a woman, I knew what a physically abusive relationship was, and I learned it at a young age. I was told to never let a man put his hands on me in a threatening way, and that I should never fear the person I love. However, as I grew older, I realized that the lines of what was and wasn't healthy in a relationship became less clear. I often worried about my friends, as I saw manipulation, control, and obsession become more frequent in their relationships...as well as my own.

The warning signs aren't as obvious for victims of emotional and mental abuse. But the #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou hashtag has been able to give a platform for women to share their own story (scary or not) to make women aware of what the warning signs are of an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence states the following: It is important to note that domestic violence does not always manifest as physical abuse. Emotional and psychological abuse can often be just as extreme as physical violence. Lack of physical violence does not mean the abuser is any less dangerous to the victim, nor does it mean the victim is any less trapped by the abuse."

Artist and writer Zahira Kelly began the hashtag trend. She told BBC Trending, "Abuse is often seen as very cut-and-dry and only physical". Kelly claimed she had no idea the hashtag would go viral, but even public figures are stepping in and spreading awareness for the cause even further.

A note-worthy effect of this hashtag is that while many men have participated in sharing their own experiences of abuse, many men were defensive with the fact that the hashtag implied that ONLY men are perpetrators of psychological and emotional abuse.

In response, #MaybeSheDoesntHitYou began to appear in the Twitter world.

However, what's so cool about this is that instead of a war between the sexes, it seemed like peace was created in the Twitter world. Instead of arguing over which gender was more guilty, both men and women began using both of the hashtags together!

Maybe both of these hashtags will teach us to teach young men and women about what healthy relationships look like. While physical abuse is obvious, emotional and psychological abuse is not. While this Twitter trend helped to break the ice on a serious and often-overlooked topic.

Love is a unique and incredible experience, meant to be shared and appreciated by those around us. But when love becomes hindered or destroyed by a person who doesn't have your best intentions in mind, it's no longer love. Regardless of the visibility of your scars, the pain is still real. No human should feel insignificant because their scars are not visible.

If you’re suffering from any type of domestic abuse, you can get help by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE).