For years, I was trained to believe that peace depended on keeping everyone else comfortable. I could sense tension before words were even spoken. The shift in my mother’s breathing, the sound of her footsteps on the floor, and the silence that followed my brother’s slammed door. I learned early that safety meant anticipation: reading ... Read more
It always starts the same way. Someone tilts their head and asks gently, “But what did they actually do?” And I freeze. Because how do I explain that the worst part wasn’t a slap, a scream, or a scene, but the slow erosion of reality itself? How do you tell someone that what broke you ... Read more
After narcissistic abuse, strength doesn’t feel like power. It feels like remembering who you are. There’s a strange quiet that follows emotional war. You’re free, but not at peace. You keep replaying arguments that never made sense, scanning every word and tone for proof that maybe it wasn’t that bad. But it was. Narcissistic abuse ... Read more
There I was, standing in the garage rummaging through old boxes as a song drifted unexpectedly from the radio. It has a gentle melody and striking lyrics. And then, almost instantly, I felt it. A shiver that raced down my spine, goosebumps bursting up my arms. It startled me. Not just the physical reaction, but ... Read more
A narcissist doesn’t just let you go. They plot your downfall. When I first went low contact with my mother, I thought peace would follow. Instead, silence became her weapon. It started with subtle moves, like “accidental” messages through my brother and indirect questions through relatives. Then came the carefully crafted social media posts that ... Read more
I used to believe that if I just explained myself clearly enough, my mother would finally understand me. I’d rehearse my words before walking into her room, calm tone, logical points, no emotional outbursts. But it never mattered. The conversation would always twist. Somehow, I’d walk out feeling like the villain, confused about how we ... Read more
Narcissistic abuse doesn’t just drain your emotions. It drains your energy, glow, and natural magnetism. I remember waking up one morning years after leaving my family home, realizing my body still braced for attack. My shoulders are tight, jaw clenched, and heart racing at the faintest sound of my phone buzzing. It didn’t make sense. ... Read more
Narcissists will call your peace “revenge” the moment it threatens their control. I remember the first time I didn’t argue back. My mother had spent the entire afternoon picking apart my choices. My career, my tone, even how I folded the laundry. Normally, I’d defend myself, desperate to prove I wasn’t the villain she painted ... Read more
There’s a special kind of chaos that only a narcissist can orchestrate. It’s the kind that leaves you questioning your own memory, emotions, and even sanity. All while they stand there, smug and composed, as if they’ve done nothing wrong. Narcissists don’t argue to reach clarity. They argue to control the emotional temperature of the ... Read more
Growing up in a narcissistic family doesn’t just steal your childhood. It confuses your sense of self. You learn to read faces before you learn to read books. You memorize emotional weather patterns, like the sharp intake of breath before an explosion, the silence that follows disapproval. You even recognize the exaggerated laugh that hides ... Read more
