Search Results: pulls out

I grew up with a narcissistic father and later spent five years married to a narcissistic partner. After living through that, I can recognize those patterns instantly. I’ve learned how their dynamics work — what to avoid saying, how to respond, and even how tone and body language can shift the interaction. Their tactics are sophisticated, and surviving them taught me a lot about how to protect myself.

I don’t use those skills to control people, and honestly, the idea of having that kind of influence makes me uneasy. But when I realize I’m dealing with someone who’s using manipulative behavior, I know how to hold my ground and not get pulled into their games. It’s empowering to know I’m no longer an easy target, even if the whole thing feels complicated at times.

A close friend of mine, who works in mental health and also has NPD, once gave me the best advice: “Stop oversharing and start listening.” It changed everything about how I navigate these interactions.

In a way, spending so much of my life around narcissistic personalities taught me how to mirror some of their strategies when I absolutely need to — but only as a form of self‑protection, not as a way of living.

I met at camp and I was a loner and very quiet. no one talked to me… we sat at the same table with other people but I don't know when it started but he started paying attention to me… I told a story and he was the only one that that listened and pulled up a chair front seat.. then he complimented me and said I looked pretty in my Aeropostale shirt, he had a twin sister who sat next to me and talked to me and asked questions, and I never knew our mom’s exchanged numbers to car pool his mom asked my mother

he mentioned doing something to his wife and kept looking at me

his mother noticed me and I was known for not smiling and she told me to smile

I don’t know what he saw I was so pathetic and unsmart…

he’s the only guy who was ever kind to me and made me feel seen.

Life went on ofc he followed a couple of my cousins but never me and I believe he got my number but never reached out so I never really thought about him.

I ended up moving out of state for college and he moved to the same city. He moved to a different city and I ended up moving there for a job offer.

he's married and has a wife and he seems like a good dad and husband.. I did reach out to congratulate him and he left it on read so I moved on