Holidays have a way of revealing narcissists rather than flattering them. The things that make the season warm for most people, like shared joy, traditions, and togetherness, make narcissists feel exposed and threatened. Every year, I’d watch a small incident blow up into full drama. My sister turning a harmless stocking-stuffer into an insult, or ... Read more
Why do narcissists always manage to ruin the moments that should bring everyone together? I used to wonder this every year, counting down to birthdays and holidays with a sense of excitement that always ended in disappointment. A few years ago, I planned my own birthday, imagining laughter filling the kitchen with the whole family. ... Read more
Narcissists love being praised, but the only compliments they truly deserve come wrapped in truth. I used to admire the way my mother could command a room and the way my sister could manipulate everyone into thinking she was charming. Even my brother had a way of making people believe he was harmless. I thought ... Read more
Holidays are supposed to be soft places in the year, bright pockets of love, warmth, and relief. At least, that’s what I used to believe. Every season, I’d decorate the house with the hope that maybe this year would be calm. Maybe my mom wouldn’t find something to criticize, or my brother wouldn’t start one ... Read more
Imagine how different our healing journeys would look if narcissists could be honest for just five minutes. Five minutes of truth instead of manipulation. Five minutes where they dropped the performance and told us what we always suspected but never heard out loud. I used to fantasize about that moment, especially during the years I ... Read more
Trying to make a narcissist understand your pain feels like shouting into a wall that enjoys watching you crumble. I remember the countless times I tried to reason with my brother, explaining calmly how his constant jabs at my achievements left me sleepless at night. Each attempt ended with him twisting my words or storming ... Read more
Imagine if almost every problem you’ve ever had with a narcissist vanished overnight. You stop replaying every conversation. The sleepless nights fade. And those emotional hangovers from arguments that blindsided you finally lose their grip. I used to live in that endless loop. I’d walk on eggshells, carefully arranging every word I said so no ... Read more
Mornings used to be my favorite time of day. I’d wake before everyone else, pour a cup of coffee, and sit in silence watching the sunlight move across the kitchen tiles. It was a sacred rhythm. Quiet, calm, and mine. Then, like clockwork, I’d hear footsteps, and the air would shift. The peace I’d built ... Read more
Nights should be a time of rest, a soft exhale after the noise and demands of the day. But beside a narcissist, night becomes something else entirely. It turns into a silent battlefield, a theater of quiet control, a stage where affection and cruelty intertwine beneath the same blanket. I remember lying next to my ... Read more
Narcissists obsess over what shines, like money, image, and admiration, yet the most devastating things they steal aren’t tangible. They rob you of what can’t be bought back, repaid, or re-earned. The quiet, sacred parts of your being that make you you. For me, the realization came one ordinary Tuesday morning. I was washing dishes ... Read more
