Narcissism - A bottomless pit Part 1

I can't count how many times I have had to educate my clients on Narcissism. It is definitely more prevalent than ever. In fact, in the 1980's, the population of narcissistic young adults were in the range of 27%. This is based on a self-reported scale. Nowadays, it is more in the 50% range. Albeit, not everyone is full-blown narcissistic; rather, many have narcissistic tendencies. These tendencies of course include gaslighting, manipulation, and all forms of abuse.

The thing with narcissists is that they are bottomless pits. This means, they are NEVER satisfied. You can try to placate a narcissist, but because they can't look within themselves and feel their feelings, they can't be satisfied with anything you do. Narcissists are really good at putting on the masks of pride, perfectionism, anger, and playing the victim. These masks are used to deflect having to reach within and face their fears and feelings. So, they decide to put the blame on you and tell you that you're the crazy one.

I read a book called Becoming the Narcissist's Nightmare by Shahida Arabi. Arabi says that the best way to deal with a narcissist is to avoid them at all costs. If you can't, then try to minimize your associations with them. I have another solution. Set boundaries for yourself. I know this isn't easy, because when you set boundaries, you know that the narcissist will make you feel like you're going crazy. They don't like it when you set boundaries. However, the boundaries are more mental and emotional, and they are just for you. For example, you set the boundary that if the narcissist calls you a name, that you will not allow it to affect you in any way. It takes practice, but the more you set boundaries for yourself, the more you will feel empowered and can face your challenges. And . . . when you get a chance to get away, then do it! Their abusive behaviors are not acceptable, and they are not worth your sanity. Obviously there's more to that, but you get the gist. May you be bless in your endeavors with a narcissist.