You see the narcissist at work, charming the room while you sit there feeling dismissed, emotional, and unheard. They make eye contact, crack jokes, and offer compliments. People gravitate toward them. Meanwhile, you’re in the corner, trying to steady your breathing, wondering how someone so harmful in private can be so adored in public. You’ve … Read more
For years, I accepted apologies from my narcissistic family that were actually full-on manipulation. I thought being forgiving made me good. Turns out, it just made me look like not a very smart person. “I’m sorry you feel that way.” “That wasn’t my intention.” “You’re too sensitive.” I nodded, smiled, and said, “It’s okay.” Even … Read more
You block the narcissists, and unblock them two days later. You set a boundary and then explain why you needed it. Every move you make whispers to them: “I’m still here.” And they know exactly how to pounce. I know this story because it was mine. I thought being the bigger person meant leaving the … Read more
You’re not crazy. You’re not weak. And you’re not alone. Narcissists didn’t just hurt you. They trained you to shrink around their chaos. They blurred the line between love and control, between family and fear. These weren’t misunderstandings. These were patterns, strategies designed to keep you off-balance. You apologized when you weren’t wrong. You carried … Read more
When I finally cut my toxic family out of my life, I expected peace. I thought the hard part was over. The constant gaslighting, the manipulations, the emotional rollercoaster… gone. But what came next was even more confusing. I kept finding myself in the same cycles. I doubted myself in every decision. I felt anxious … Read more
When I first fought back against my narcissistic family members, I felt as if it was my fault. Looking back, this was, in fact, an experience shared by many others. So if you ever leave arguments with a great blur on what truly happened, you’re not alone. If you ever feel as if you were … Read more
You’ve worked hard to build confidence. But lately… you’re wondering: Am I self-assured… or just self-absorbed? It’s a question I’ve asked myself more than once, especially after cutting ties with some of my family members who always called me “too much.” Too proud. Too distant. Too full of myself. But I remember how small I … Read more
You say no, and suddenly you feel selfish. You stop over-explaining, and the guilt hits like a freight train. If you grew up around people who twisted your boundaries into betrayal, or treated your silence as an attack, like me, you might carry a constant fear of becoming just like them. I’ve been there, walking … Read more
Narcissists have always known how to keep you small. That was never the problem. The problem was that you didn’t know it either. You bent until you broke. You gave until you disappeared. You stayed long after the pain started. Why? Because they trained you to believe that loyalty was love, that suffering was noble, … Read more
There was a time I felt very guilty for saying no. For asking for space. For having needs that didn’t align with what my toxic family expected from me. I used to twist myself into something smaller, quieter, more agreeable, just to avoid the cold looks, the guilt trips, the subtle punishments that followed any … Read more
