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
When I have finally cut off the person who made me resent my own blood, I have felt at peace, as if every scar from the past is finally starting to heal. Then, one of my relatives reached out to me through text. Is this a chance to reconcile perhaps? Do they finally see my ... 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
It wasn’t my ex’s smear campaign that broke me. It was my sister who believed it. That kind of betrayal doesn’t just sting, it scrapes something raw inside you. You’re standing there trying to make sense of what just happened, but all you can feel is that deep, nauseating twist in your gut. It’s not ... Read more
Gaslighting doesn’t start with a slap. It starts with a sentence. Something so subtle, so ordinary, you almost don’t notice it, until you do. For me, it was my mother saying, “You’re too sensitive. I was just joking.” I remember standing there, confused, questioning whether I had misunderstood something obvious. I hadn’t. But that’s how ... Read more
The moment I finally said no to my narcissistic family, I saw something I’d never seen before: fear behind the manipulation. It was subtle at first, a crack in the polished surface. My self-centered mother had spent decades painting herself as the all-knowing matriarch. But when I stopped playing the role she assigned me, something ... Read more
At first, I thought I was overreacting. Now I realize, every word was a weapon, disguised as love. It took me years to understand that the most harmful wounds weren’t from shouting or slamming doors. They were from quiet jabs dressed up as concern, guilt wrapped in affection, and manipulation that sounded like reason. Narcissists ... Read more
I remember once telling my mother how hurt I felt after she mocked me in front of relatives. It was a quiet moment, just the two of us in the kitchen. I tried to be calm and honest. But without missing a beat, she laughed and said, “You’re overthinking it again. Stop reading into things ... Read more
