Narcissists have a knack for chipping away at your self-worth and confidence, often without you even noticing. Their tools are subtle but effective: criticism, devaluation, and manipulation. Imagine, for instance, being criticized constantly. Over time, this repeated criticism wears you down, and it’s exhausting. It starts to infiltrate your self-image and drains you emotionally. Narcissists use tactics like gaslighting to distort your reality, and that can make you question your own perceptions, wondering if you’re overreacting or imagining things.
Self-worth erodes because, after enough repetition, you start to believe the negative things they say about you. Narcissistic criticism is relentless, and because it’s so frequent, it’s natural to start questioning your own worth and abilities. You might wonder if you truly are to blame, if maybe there is something wrong with you. When someone criticizes you repeatedly, especially someone you care about, it becomes increasingly challenging to maintain a healthy view of yourself. The narcissist’s constant manipulation and gaslighting shift your perception of reality. Gaslighting, for instance, is a tactic where they try to change your perception of events and feelings, convincing you that their version of reality is true. It’s incredibly harmful to your psyche and can shake your confidence profoundly.
And it doesn’t stop there. Over time, this constant negativity can leave you emotionally drained. You may feel anxious and on edge, hypervigilant about what you say and do, as you’re constantly worried about their reactions. Even the most positive, resilient people find it hard to stay unaffected by narcissistic behavior, and eventually, you may feel depleted, as if the life has been sucked out of you. This emotional exhaustion can make you start to lose touch with the things that once defined you, leaving you feeling like a shell of your former self. When this happens, it’s natural to want to retreat or hide from the world, unsure of who you are anymore.
Continue reading on the next page
Sharing is caring!
