Narcissists are not easy to deal with. They can be very charming and make you feel like they really care about you. But deep down, they are only interested in themselves and their needs. If you already have a narcissist in your life, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself from their behavior towards you.
If we explore 8 possible ways to protect ourselves, this article will address the following. For a quick summary here are several things you can do to protect yourself from a narcissist who tries to hurt you.
The first step is to learn to recognize the signs of narcissistic behavior. Once you know what to look for, you can more easily spot it in yourself and in others. This will help you in the future when dealing with different people and will help you avoid getting involved with a narcissist in the first place.
If you are already involved with a narcissist, however, there are still things you can do.
One is to set personal boundaries and stick to them. This will help protect you from the abuser’s manipulation and mind games. How to set boundaries with a narcissist
- Setting boundaries is a difficult task when you are dealing with a narcissist. A simple personal boundary is: don’t resort to fighting back, don’t get into an emotional state around them, and keep your answers to a yes or no conversation.
- Another is to build a support system of friends or family members who can offer emotional stability and help you see the situation more clearly.
- Finally, it is important to remember that you are not responsible for the narcissist\’s behavior. You are allowed to take care of yourself. That includes protecting yourself from further harm.
- 8 Ways To Protect Yourself From A Narcissist.
- Common Questions And Answers.
- 1. What are some signs that a narcissist may be trying to hurt you?
- 2. What are some things you can do to protect yourself from a narcissist?
- 3. What are some red flags to watch out for if you think someone may be a narcissist?
- 4. How can you tell if a narcissist is gaslighting you?
- 5. What are some common manipulation techniques that narcissists use?
- Summary
8 Ways To Protect Yourself From A Narcissist.
1. No What You’re Go To Say.
When dealing with a narcissist, it’s important to know what you’re going to say before you say it. You want to be able to stay in control of yourself while dealing with a narcissist. Have predetermined choices of responses so you don’t overreact and regret your words later. Stay in control of your emotions when dealing with a narcissist,
2. Ignore The Narcissist.
Narcissists are masters of manipulation, but they can be handled. As much as possible, ignore them.A narcissist feeds off your energy and anger, which is what makes them tick. If you reduce contact or go silent, this will take their power away from them and give you the time to recover.
Remember that narcissists try to control your attention, when they have your attention they also control your time, emotions, and other aspects of your life.
“The best way to take away the power of a narcissist is to stop giving them your attention”.
3. Stop Feeding The Narcissist.
Don’t give the narcissist reasons to use your behavior against you. Don’t give them the power to control you, learn how to bring your emotional and mental state under control
Learning to control your emotional and mental state is a difficult and sometimes painful process, but the rewards are worth it. It’s a game of power: who has control over the other, you or the narcissist? If you’re not careful, they’ll gain the power to control you. But if you learn how to bring your emotional and mental state under control, they won’t have any power over you.
4. Find Yourself.
Find yourself again. You need to find out who you are without the narcissist around. Set some life goals, and have a purpose again. Find your values again and your morals.
The narcissist has taken your life and made it about them, now you have to get it back. You need to find yourself again. YOUTUBE YOUTU|BE FINDING YOURSELF AGAIN
5. How To Set Boundaries
Set your own boundaries on how you will communicate with the narcissist.
Narcissists are known for their inability to control themselves. They have an inflated ego and need to be the centre of attention. They will often manipulate their partners or children in order to get what they want. To be a successful survivor, it is important to set your own boundaries on how you are going to communicate with the narcissist.
You can set your own time when you want to communicate with them or read text messages or emails. You’re not at their beckoned call. If you read a text or email you don’t like don’t respond until you have calmed down, remember they know how to press your buttons.
If it’s time-sensitive, respond with a simple “I will get back to you on this.” It’s all about taking back control of your life and taking power away from them. Remember, you’re not a victim anymore.
You don’t need to explain anything to them, and if you go down that road you’re slipping back into your old ways.
6. No Contact.
If possible go no contact with the narcissist. If you can simply avoid any contact whatsoever.
If you can avoid any contact with a narcissist it is the best course of action. It’s difficult to go no contact when the person is a family member or close friend, but for anyone else, it’s completely doable. You can block them on all social media platforms and delete their number from your phone. Remove the power, remove the power.
Get a plan in place to totally remove them from your life. Remember that it can be hard to remove someone from your life, as they have been with you for a long time. Don’t go back, no contact is no contact.
7. Trust Your Instincts.
When you think something is wrong with a person, it’s probably true. Your first impressions are important. There is a brilliant book called The Gift Of Fear for more about this topic.
8. Track What Is Really Going On.
Keep an eye on what’s really happening in your life. You can write things down and keep a timeline of when you felt hurt or emotional when a person has triggered you or said something nasty. You’ll start to build a picture of what’s really going on in your life and with this person.
To find out if you’re dealing with a covert narcissist, check out this article.
Common Questions And Answers.
1. What are some signs that a narcissist may be trying to hurt you?
A narcissist may be trying to hurt you if they exhibit any of the following behaviors:
- Withdrawing compliments or positive reinforcement.
- Making demeaning or critical comments.
- Excluding you from social events or activities.
- Deliberately sabotaging your plans or goals.
- Take credit for your accomplishments.
- Belittling your interests or hobbies.
- Trying to control your behavior.
- Making you feel like you’re inferior or not good enough.
If you spot any of the above over a few weeks or days you know you are dealing with a potential narcissist.
2. What are some things you can do to protect yourself from a narcissist?
Some things that may help protect oneself from a narcissist include:
- Being aware of the signs that someone may be a narcissist, such as a sense of entitlement, needing constant admiration, and lacking empathy.
- Not being afraid to set boundaries with someone who is exhibiting narcissistic behaviors.
- Recognizing that you cannot change or fix someone else and that if someone is unwilling to seek help for their narcissism, the relationship is likely doomed.
- Putting yourself and your needs first, and choosing not to tolerate narcissistic behavior. Check out this article for more information on how to deal with narcissists.
3. What are some red flags to watch out for if you think someone may be a narcissist?
Examples of red flags that may indicate someone is a narcissist include an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy for others, a grandiose sense of entitlement, and a preoccupation with success and power.
Narcissists also tend to be highly manipulative and exploitative, often taking advantage of others to get what they want. They may also be quick to anger and have a fragile ego, often becoming defensive and lashing out when they feel threatened.
4. How can you tell if a narcissist is gaslighting you?
There are a few key ways to tell if a narcissist is gaslighting you. One is if they regularly make you feel like you’re crazy or overreacting to things when in reality you’re not.
Another is if they try to undermine your relationships with other people, by making you doubt yourself and your instincts.
Finally, if they constantly lie to you or twist the truth, that’s another red flag that they’re gaslighting you.
5. What are some common manipulation techniques that narcissists use?
Common manipulation techniques that narcissists use include gaslighting, love bombing, and triangulation. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or group causes another person or group to doubt their own sanity or perception.
Love bombing is a technique in which a narcissist showers a person with excessive affection and attention in order to gain control over them.
Triangulation is a tactic used by narcissists in which they create a sense of competition or jealousy between two people in order to keep them under their control.
Summary
Narcissists, by definition, are narcissistic. They have a distorted self-image, are grandiose and lack empathy for other people. They also have an obsessive need for admiration from others. In order to protect yourself you need to first understand the narcissist and then have an action plan to remove that person from your life or take back control over yourself. If you have enjoyed reading this article please check out our others here.
