#11: Practice Forgiveness.
Now, before you jump the gun, let me clarify what I mean by forgiveness. I’m not saying you should let the narcissist off the hook or allow them to continue their disrespectful behavior. Not at all. What I’m saying is to practice forgiveness for your own peace of mind. Holding on to resentment, anger, or hurt only gives the narcissist power over you. They can use your negative emotions to manipulate and control you. But if you can learn to forgive and let go of those negative emotions, you take that power away from them. You free yourself from their control, and in doing so, you show them that their tactics are not working on you and that you’re stronger than they thought. This can often lead to grudging respect from the narcissist. And remember, forgiveness is more about you than about them. It’s about freeing yourself from the burden of negative emotions and moving forward on a positive trajectory.
#12: Set and Maintain Boundaries.
I cannot stress this enough—boundaries are your best defense against a narcissist. A narcissist will always try to push your boundaries to see how much they can get away with. They’ll test your limits, and if you let them, they’ll trample all over your boundaries. But if you set clear boundaries and stick to them, if you make it clear what behavior you’ll tolerate and what you won’t, you force the narcissist to respect those boundaries. They might not like it, and they might try to push back, but if you stay firm, they’ll have no choice but to respect your boundaries. And here’s the crucial part: once you’ve set those boundaries, you need to enforce them. If a narcissist crosses a boundary, make sure there are consequences. Don’t let them off the hook. Make it clear that your boundaries are non-negotiable, and they’ll eventually learn to respect them.
#13: Don’t Give Them Narcissistic Supply.
If you’re wondering what narcissistic supply is, it’s anything that feeds a narcissist’s ego. It could be your attention, your admiration, your emotional reactions—anything that makes them feel important or superior. Narcissists crave narcissistic supply like crazy. They need it to maintain their inflated self-image. But if you starve them of this supply, if you don’t react to their tantrums, if you don’t feed their ego, they’ll eventually realize that their usual tactics are not working on you. This can be a powerful way to earn their respect. It shows them that you’re not a source of narcissistic supply and that you’re not someone they can manipulate or control. It forces them to see you as an equal. But remember, this requires consistency. You need to consistently starve them of narcissistic supply, not just occasionally.
Read More: 5 Demonic Spirits Behind Narcissism.
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