Let's be real: the Super Bowl commercials are almost as great as the game. I say "almost" to protect the feelings of the die-hard sports fans out there, but if we're being honest, the commercials make as much of an impact as the final score does. Every year the previous year's commercials are topped and re-done to convince more people to flee the house to buy Tostitos, salsa, Coca-Cola, cars, etc. One commercial that has had a serious impact on the mood of the commercial watching are the domestic violence awareness commercials.

Last year there was a bone-chilling commercial of a wrecked house and the voice over of a woman on the phone talking to 911, talking as if she's ordering a pizza; clearly in such a horrible situation that she's having to mask the emergency call so that she can be rescued from whatever abusive situation she was in. I highly encourage you to watch and share it.

This year the commercial was re-done to fit a more tech-savvy world that we live in, still leaving you pondering who in your own life could be struggling with an unhealthy relationship and having a hard time getting out of the situation or even bringing it up to talk about. A series of texts is shown being exchanged and the girl in the unhealthy relationship isn't attending the Super Bowl party with her friends because her significant other is "in one of his moods."

It takes more than one person to raise awareness about such a big, real, and difficult cause. It takes a community. I challenge you to be intentional with your friends. Ask the hard questions. You never know who could be struggling in an unhealthy, abusive or violent situation. It's not just physical abuse either — verbal and emotional abuse are a reality and can turn into dangerous conditions. We need to realize that it can happen to anyone. Your best friend that's been dating her boyfriend for three years isn't immune. Neither is the boy on the baseball team that you sit next to in class.

Did you know that one in four women will experience domestic during her lifetime? Did you know that every year more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes?

This is a problem that deserves recognition. Learn how to help because love shouldn't hurt.