HOW NARCISSISTIC ABUSE CHANGES YOU...DON’T MISS THESE IMPORTANT SIGNS.
By: Khalif Barkhadle
Digital Journalist
Published On: 8th September 2024.
Narcissists are toxic to our well-being.
If you endure their hurtful, selfish behaviors for long enough, you can be left with issues that can take a while or even a lifetime to improve. Narcissistic abuse often involves emotional and psychological manipulation by a narcissist, leading to various signs and symptoms. Today, I want to go over some common symptoms of narcissistic abuse.
They are going to be divided into various categories such as emotional, behavioural, physical, and even long-term effects, so please stay with me until the end. Some people are hesitant to admit that they are dealing with a narcissist if the person has not yet been officially diagnosed. So, today’s article takes the focus off the narcissist and onto yourself. How are you feeling? What’s going on in your mind? Will you be able to relate to any of the things I talk about today? Let’s get into it.
Symptoms of Narcissistic Abuse
Please bear in mind that if you grew up in a narcissistic household, some of these things would have been present with you since your childhood, and getting with a narcissist later on would have probably made them even worse. Also, I can not touch on every single symptom out there, so I’m just going to focus on the most common ones. Let’s first look at the emotional and psychological symptoms.
Emotional and Psychological Symptoms
Low Self-Esteem: This is a big one because narcissists make people feel worthless so that they can feel worthy. Therefore, you are bound to feel inadequate as a result of their constant belittling, criticism, and manipulation.
Confusion and Self-Doubt:
Not only do you not feel good enough, but the narcissist’s gaslighting forces you to question your own reality, memory, and perceptions.
Isolation:
You can end up in isolation, as narcissists have a way of getting us to detach from our family, friends, and support systems, thus making us more dependent on them.
Anxiety and Depression:
Being on that constant emotional rollercoaster and walking on eggshells around the narcissist can lead to significant anxiety and depression.
Feelings of Shame and Guilt:
When you are in a narcissistic relationship, you will find that you are the one always apologizing. The narcissist always finds a way to make everything your fault. Even the terrible ways they treat you become your fault, and you end up carrying around a lot of guilt and shame. You are not only their emotional punching bag but also a dumping ground for all their negativity.
Behavioral Symptoms
Now, let us look at a couple of behavioural symptoms.
People-Pleasing:
Victims of narcissistic abuse, especially from childhood, can become people-pleasers. After spending so much time trying to make a narcissist happy, it becomes a habit and spreads over to other areas of your life, usually at the expense of your own needs and well-being.
Struggling to Make Decisions: After all that manipulation and gaslighting, you end up doubting yourself a lot, constantly second-guessing.
Avoidance of Conflict:
After living in fear of provoking a narcissist to anger, you can end up trying to avoid any conflict, even when it’s necessary.
Inability to Set Boundaries:
The constant erosion of your personal boundaries by the narcissist can leave you unable to assert yourself or protect your own needs. You basically start exhibiting behaviours that are detrimental to your own happiness and success.
Physical Symptoms
The physical symptoms of narcissistic abuse are usually plain to see, but people often try to blame them on other things. A lot of the symptoms are a result of stress.
Narcissistic relationships are extremely stressful. The narcissist practically aims to keep you mentally and emotionally disturbed
Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Problems:
Chronic fatigue, insomnia, nightmares, or irregular sleep patterns can occur.
Physical Ailments: This includes headaches, digestive problems, or chronic pain.
Weight Changes: There may be a drastic change in your weight; you can end up gaining or losing a lot of weight.
Your overall physical health and appearance will not be the best it can be when you are dealing with a narcissist.
Long-Term Effects:
The final category I want to talk about is the long-term effects of narcissistic abuse. Even though you may have separated yourself from the narcissist, there are still things that can remain post-abuse.
Trust Issues:
After dealing with the hurt and betrayals of the narcissist, it can be very difficult to trust anyone again. The endless lies the narcissist told and the levels of deceit they stooped to can really shake your faith. That fear of being used or hurt again is enough to keep that wall up, even in future relationships.
Loss of Identity: Being with a narcissist can destroy your sense of self. They intentionally try to strip you of your confidence, independence, and more. Therefore, you can struggle to recognize who you are outside of the abusive relationship. Time and effort are needed to reconnect with yourself and rediscover who you are and what you love.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
In severe cases, some people might develop PTSD, with symptoms like flashbacks, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the trauma.
There is hope
But to conclude, the effects of being with a narcissist can follow you throughout your life unless you make a conscious effort to work on yourself. It starts by first recognizing that you are or were in an abusive relationship.
Rebuilding a normal life and healthy relationships after narcissistic abuse is possible. You just need to give yourself permission and time to recover and heal. Even after healing, some scars may remain; let them serve as a reminder of how far you have come and that you are a survivor.
That’s all for these article. I hope you liked it. I enjoy writing it for you. This is Barkhadle. Remember, you’re never alone.
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