Even though we all grew up dreaming of the perfect Disney-esque romance, we no doubt all wholeheartedly agree that relationships certainly aren’t easy, yet they are made even tougher when a narcissistic partner is added to the mix. As someone who has previously dated a guy with a narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), I’ve decided to share the 10 ultimate red flags and warning signs that your Prince Charming is actually more of a poisonous frog than anything else.
Dating a narcissist is definitely no easy feat and is almost always damaging for your mental health and self-esteem. Now, I’m sure we’d all agree that no one would willingly date such a manipulative character, yet many of us end up being duped by these supposedly charming yet cunning personalities. These personalities have a way with words and know how to make us feel special, which often clouds our judgment. We all want that ideal fairy tale love, yet someone who suffers from NPD is simply incapable of fulfilling our needs and making us feel emotionally safe. If you want to avoid dating a narcissist, you are certainly in the right place because I’m about to share my insights into how to identify this personality type in love.
>>> Discover what narcissists do to people
These are the red flags that you are currently with a poorly intentioned partner.
If your man often goes way overboard with grandiose gestures, you certainly need to start asking yourself some tough questions. Spoiling someone with affectionate gifts from time to time is fine, but when it becomes too frequent, it borders on blackmail and emotional abuse. Buying someone’s love and affection with gifts is devious and hides darker motives.
>>> Find out here what love bombing is
Now, one of the biggest life lessons I learned from dating my ex was that he was simply unable to accept responsibility for anything. From forgetting to pick up the mail or being late to dinner, he never apologized and couldn’t see why he needed to. The same principle applied to our arguments; here, no matter what happened, everything was my fault.
If you often receive hundreds of angry voicemail messages demanding to know where you are, whenever you are out with friends, alarm bells should be ringing in your head. Narcissistic behavior means these folks have such a strong sense of entitlement that they need to know your every whereabouts, plus who you are with.
Whenever I’d had a horrible day at work, I could always count on my ex coldly telling me to get over it and move on. His lack of empathy was astounding, yet eventually made me realize that he was only interested in paying attention to himself and his own problems. My feelings didn’t matter and were almost always swept under the rug.
My relationship with my ex taught me that with him, my point of view just didn’t count. In my own personal experience, I never had a say in anything, be it where we’d go out to eat or even what I wanted to do on the weekend. My needs and desires were always less important than his, and he was never even willing to hear me out on what I wanted or thought.
People with NPD believe their sexual pleasure is more important than their partner’s, which is why they’ll never make an effort to please them between the sheets. They believe that they are superior, so why would they consider anyone else?
>>> Discover how narcissists behave sexually
If your partner gets his kicks out of comparing you to his ex and pointing out how beautiful she was, you need to start plotting your escape from the relationship because he is toxic! Stirring up trouble and then waiting for the firework is definitely a narcissist’s favorite activity.
From snide remarks about your weight to fashion critiques, for NPD sufferers, nothing you do will ever be good enough, no matter how hard you try. Although, you must know that they’ll never lower their standards or concede that you are in fact deserving of better.
In the most extreme cases, narcissistic behavior can turn into gaslighting to the point where victims start to question their own sanity. This point is also linked to the fact that these emotional abusers are never willing to hold their hands up and accept responsibility, instead, they choose to unload the blame on others and distort the truth.
Whether it’s by ignoring your tears and cries for help or simply making you believe outrageous rumors, these types of partners will do anything to wind you up. Their goal is to make you feel bad about yourself, and what better way to achieve it than by making you vulnerable and worthless?
There's no set time frame for realizing that you're dating a narcissist, as this can vary depending on a variety of factors, including the frequency and severity of the person's narcissistic behaviors, as well as the sensitivity and individual perception of the situation by the person involved. Some people may notice signs early on in the relationship, while others may take longer to recognize patterns of narcissistic behavior. However, it's important to note that recognizing signs of narcissism in a relationship can take time and require a gradual awareness of toxic behavior patterns. If you have concerns about your relationship, it may be helpful to consult a mental health professional for appropriate support and advice.
Narcissists give off a different and destabilizing type of vibe, which means that they aren’t exactly flooded with options when it comes to dating. However, they shouldn’t be totally underestimated and written off, because they do in fact manage to attract 5 types of women, who they undoubtedly go on to hurt and metaphorically crush. Here are the personality types that find them pretty much irresistible:
Try as they might to blend into the crowd, a narcissist can never totally hide their evil traits. Here are 5 common giveaways that you are surrounded by one of these devious folks;
Editor’s opinion - If you recognize your partner in the descriptions, walk awayThe ideal love doesn’t exist, but that’s not to say that we should automatically accept abusive behavior when it comes to relationships. When we are in a relationship, our partner should make us feel good about ourselves, not worthless, insecure or worn down. Although breaking up with someone you have feelings for is challenging, if your partner displays narcissistic traits, you certainly won’t regret your decision in the long run. 🤗 Understand yourself, accept yourself, be happy... Let’s do it here and now! #BornToBeMe |
Be sure to check these articles out too:
Article presented by Katie M.
🌻 Discover the world through my eyes.
Life is full of unexpected things. Sometimes we have nice surprises, sometimes we experience traumatic events. The latter can lead to what we call an “adjustment disorder”. I experienced this when my mother died. The shock was so immense that I couldn’t cope anymore. If you feel like you’re going through a very difficult period after a shock, you may also be affected by adjustment disorder. Let’s talk about it.
Getting involved in a romantic relationship can bring back many painful memories, which may prevent you from experiencing new things in your emotional life. Fear of loving, committing, being abandoned, feeling betrayed, suffering: these are all ideas that can fuel your fears. Here’s our advice on how to overcome this fear of relationships, also known as philophobia. Let me explain.
In the dating world, there’s a word for everything. That’s how I came to learn the name of something very unpleasant that happened to me several years ago. I’d been on a few Tinder dates, things were going well, but from one day to the next I’d heard nothing. I wasn’t in love, so it was fine. However, I found it hard to move on, because he couldn’t stop looking at my Instagram stories and following me keenly... It’s called orbiting. Why do this? How do you react to this behavior?
Crying in front of an advert? Done ✅. Being disturbed by the slightest noise? Of course ✅. Not being able to deal with negative emotions? Sure ✅. All hypersensitive people experience this on a daily basis. At least, I do. Yes, I’m part of team emotions! It’s already difficult for me, so when I’m in a relationship, I know my partner’s lost. So I’ve written a little guide to help people who live with a hypersensitive person on a daily basis.
I’m one of those people who doesn’t put work at the center of my life. On the other hand, I have a friend who does, to the point where her body gives out regularly. Clearly, her work is her raison d’être and she gives everything. Perhaps a little too much. That’s why I wanted to write this article, to remind her to be careful! Maybe it will help you too, especially if you feel that your career’s taking up all the space in your life.
“Which folder do I need to put these videos in again? And how does it work to do the videos? Can you help me? I’m really struggling...”. I think we’ve all encountered these words and this kind of situation at work. Sometimes people really are lost, sometimes you get the feeling that they’re lacking motivation and that they just don’t want to do it. And that’s precisely what strategic incompetence is. Why is this a problem? I’ll explain all.
Imagine you’re having breakfast, you’re heating up your tea or coffee, and you get the urge to toast some bread. Everything’s going well, you sit down at the table and butter your toast. Then all of a sudden, clumsily, the toast falls to the floor. Obviously, it falls on the wrong side, the butter side, and picks up all the dust and hairs lying around on the tiles. YUM! But it seems that it’s not all bad that the sandwich falls on this side... Let’s explain!
Love is such an unpredictable journey that it gives the perfect cover for emotionally abusive partners to hide behind masks of perfect Mr. Darcy-like characters. Now, let's face it, no devious manipulator enters a relationship by showing their true colors. In the beginning, they make for caring and supportive partners, that is, until they've got you completely hooked. Once they believe you are sufficiently spellbound by them, they'll put their despicable plan of emotional abuse into play, and their victims won't suspect a thing before it's too late. Signs of emotional mistreatment aren't always easy to pick up on, however, these types of partners do have a common modus operandi.
"Love stories usually end badly." As you know as well as Les Rita Mitsoukos, love isn’t a direct path to eternity. Sometimes it disappears from our hearts, leaving a great emptiness, if not fierce hatred. That’s when it’s time to say goodbye, and a letter can sometimes be the most effective way of saying exactly how you feel and explaining why you’re leaving. Here are 6 examples of farewell letters, to say goodbye, ciao, or bye-bye to a loved one, but also to a friend or, more sadly, to a loved one who has died.
I always thought that I was surrounded by people who loved their jobs, that is until I started openly talking about how much I hate working. Let’s get one thing straight, I’ve never liked my job, but have only recently built up the courage to talk about it. That's right, I used to hide my despair under a huge smile in an effort to convince myself I was overreacting, plus I was also afraid of other people judging me. In fact, daring to share my thoughts got me asking if I was the problem; was I the black sheep? Or, were my reasons for this bold statement justified? It's time to see if are all secretly on the same wavelength.
