Signs A Narcissist Is Playing Mind Games With You And What To Do

Now, I don’t want to alarm you, but narcissists are among some of the most dangerous personalities you can ever come up against. The stark reality is that they are such slippery characters that manipulation is in their DNA, meaning they can’t resist playing a few devious games to get what they want. (This might be the point where you get scared) They are so good at what they do, that picking up on their toxic behavior isn’t always straightforward.

What are the signs a narcissist is playing mind games with you? - 5 Give away indications

Here we are dealing with elite manipulators, who are so skillful and talented in the dark arts that they make acknowledging the reality of their actions and motives very complicated. That being said, despite their abilities to dissimulate the truth, they can’t disguise all of their toxic behaviors, meaning there are some telltale signs that they are toying with you. Here are 5 signs a narcissist is toying with you;

• 1) You constantly question yourself: One of the hallmark tactics of narcissists is gaslighting, where they manipulate your perception of reality to make you doubt your own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You find yourself constantly questioning your memory, judgment, and sanity, as the narcissist subtly undermines your confidence and self-trust.
• 2) You never know where you stand: Narcissists are masters of inconsistency and unpredictability. They may shower you with affection and praise one moment, only to suddenly withdraw or criticize you the next. This rollercoaster of emotions and behavior leaves you feeling confused, anxious, and constantly on edge, never knowing where you truly stand in the narcissist's eyes.
• 3) Your gut feeling tells you something is wrong: Trust your intuition. Deep down, you sense that something isn't right in your relationship with the narcissist. Despite their charm and charisma, there's an underlying feeling of unease or discomfort that you can't shake off. Your instincts are trying to alert you to the manipulative mind games being played.
• 4) Your version of events is always wrong: Narcissists excel at rewriting history and twisting the truth to suit their agenda. They gaslight and invalidate your experiences, insisting that their version of events is the only valid perspective. You're left feeling unheard, dismissed, and frustrated as the narcissist denies or distorts reality to maintain control over the narrative.
• 5) His promises and actions don’t align: The narcissist's words rarely match their actions. They may make grand promises and declarations of love, yet their behavior consistently falls short of these commitments. You're left feeling disillusioned and betrayed as the narcissist's actions fail to align with their professed intentions, revealing their manipulative and deceptive nature.

8 Narcissist mind games these devious bullies use 

1) Victim playing

Playing the victim comes naturally to fully-fledged narcissists and allows them to drum up support for themselves. By adopting the victim mentality, these manipulative parasites believe they can ditch the bad guy label and make themselves out to be the person who has been wronged. Plus, adopting this daring stance will even make the real victim in the situation question themselves and their behavior. This is one of their favorite manipulation tactics and gives them the leverage they need to take control of the narrative. Indeed, it gives them the upper hand and makes them seem inoffensive.

2) Blame shifting

The simple truth is that narcissists never feel guilty for their actions and are completely void of any semblance of empathy. Their innate traits mean that they are certainly not above accusing their legitimate victims of negatively impacting their mental health. No matter what type of relationship you have with one of these deceitful rouges, they’ll never hold their hands up and face up to what they have done. Whether they’ve cheated on you, or broken your trust, you can be sure that they’ll never accept the consequences of their actions, or admit they are in the wrong. For them, the buck always stops with someone else, and nothing is ever their fault.

3) Ghosting

As master puppeteers, these folks love pulling the strings, especially when it comes to dating and romantic relationships. Now, in reality, these people just aren’t cut out to love wholesomely or to enjoy healthy relationships, however, that doesn’t stop them from promising their victims the world. You’ll notice that I chose the word victim above and not partner, well that’s because that’s exactly what narcissists are looking for. After all, finding someone you can toy with makes cutting communication and ghosting them so much easier.

>>> Discover 8 reasons why ghosters always come back

4) Love bombing

Love bombing is a form of covert emotional abuse that those in relationships with a narcissist are often subjected to. Love bombing consists of making people feel good about themselves and showering them with gifts and compliments, with the aim that showing them affection will make them lower the boundaries. After all, when the boundaries are forgotten about, manipulation and control become so much easier to activate.

5) Emotional manipulation

Emotional manipulation is used by controlling people to seize power over someone else. In the case of a narcissist, they are most likely to use this head game to savagely convince people that they have feelings for them and that they love them. Now, they rarely use violence, but their dishonesty and general bad behavior are powerful enough to disarm the folks they have contact with. The bottom line is that they will do, say, and claim anything to get what they want, no matter how ludicrous it may seem from an outsider’s perspective.

6) Passive-aggressive behavior

When it comes to passive aggression, the aggressor will never voice the negative feelings they are experiencing, however, they will always find indirect ways to imply that they are unhappy. This covert mind game will lead to gaslighting and when it is done relentlessly, it could even result in victims believing they are at fault for their puppeteer’s dissatisfaction. This underhand tactic may seem pretty inoffensive, although, in reality, it is one of the most damaging that exists.

7) Self-esteem reduction

In order to keep people around and ensure they don’t escape from their clutches, narcissists play mind games to slash people’s self-confidence. Plus, nothing is out of bounds for them, meaning they won’t hold back in criticizing your weight, your appearance, your dress sense, or your intelligence. Their narcissistic rage means they’ll say anything to completely destroy any shred of confidence you have…

8) Triggering you

Anything goes when it comes to getting a reaction out of you. A narcissist’s ultimate goal is to control, therefore triggering people is a tactic they use to get them to lash out and feel worthless afterwards. Of course, after their victims let rip, they’ll decide to make them feel bad and victimize themselves, as a means to emotionally blackmail. And, they are excellent at analyzing people’s characters, that they immediately identify weak points.

How do you outsmart a narcissist?

When faced with a narcissistic person trying to manipulate you, it's important to remain calm, confident, and in control of yourself. Here are some ways to outsmart and deal with manipulators:

• Be aware of their tactics: Understand the common manipulative tactics used by narcissists, such as gaslighting, devaluation, and projection. By being aware of their strategies, you can better protect yourself and avoid falling into their traps.
  
  
• Remain firm and assertive: Assert yourself and clearly express your limits when trying to outsmart these devious personalities. These folks may try to destabilize you by questioning your confidence or making you doubt yourself. Stand firm in your convictions and don't hesitate to defend your rights and opinions.
  
  
• Don't engage in pointless debates: These manipulators may seek to provoke you into endless debates in order to manipulate you emotionally. Choose your battles wisely and don't get involved in discussions that won't lead to anything positive.
  
  
• Set clear limits: Set clear limits on what you will and won't accept from the abuser. Be prepared to walk away from the relationship if it becomes toxic.
  
  
• Take care of yourself: Manipulation can be emotionally draining. Make sure you take care of your well-being by seeking support from friends, family, or qualified professionals.

Be sure to check out the following articles too;

• What will a narcissist say to get you back?
• How do you know if a narcissist is cheating?
• How to tell a narcissist you want a divorce