 What if PMS isn't just senseless misery and angst? What if it's trying to tell us something.
That's what I've noticed! The more I understand and heal from narcissistic abuse, the milder my PMS! Could it be that my PMS was trying to tell me something after all? Click here to read all about it on the Huffington Post!
0 Comments
 "Perfectionism is probably the most common and also one of the most damaging characteristics of dysfunctional families," wrote John and Linda Friel in their excellent book An Adult Child's Guide to What's Normal. When I read that, I felt like I'd discovered fire. Perfectionism ran rampant in my narcissistic family and I've been its willing slave since childhood.
But why? That's what I want to know. Click here to read how perfectionism forms an ego feeding frenzy for narcissists AND how it leads to workaholism  He (or she) is the neighbor you secretly call
“The A**hole.” He’s always shoveling your snow or mowing your grass because you simply don’t do it right! He’s your friendly Neighborhood Narcissist or “NN” as I like to call him (or her). Join me over at PsychCentral in a chuckle at his expense.  If you were not the Golden Child in your narcissistic family, consider yourself lucky. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
I can hear Scapegoats worldwide mumbling under their breath. And I do admit that being the Golden Child has some perks! As an only child and eldest grandchild (I'm sorry, cousins! Now I "get it!"), no one knows that better than me! I was the Golden Child by default. There were treats and presents, hugs and cuddles, fawning and praise. But it came at a price. Sooner or later, you have to pay for the presents. The cuddles come with conditions. And there are strings attached to the treats. I was thirty-one before I realized that I had to pay the piper for my Golden Child status. His price is absolute control over every facet of your being — mind, body and soul. Click here to read the full article on PsychCentral!  I honor the millions who heroically battle cancer, determined to live life to its fullest and flip cancer the bird. Unfortunately, narcissists aren’t always among this valiant throng. Give a narcissist cancer (or any ailment) and he’ll exploit it to the max, making everyone’s life a micro-managed living Hell along the way. I know. I was there.
Narcissists are well-known for faking heart attacks or claiming imaginary ailments, so when a real one comes along….holy crap! It’s like a dream come true for them. Read all about it on my PsychCentral blog! Click here!  Lately, the World Wide Web has exploded with articles about narcissism. The shenanigans of characters like Donald Trump and Kanye West have inspired writers worldwide to dip their quill in the narcissism inkwell.
But what if narcissism isn't what we assume it is? Yes, narcissists project an über-confident, egotistical image but most researchers believe this is merely a smokescreen to disguise extremely low or even non-existent self-esteem. It's kinda hard to put narcissism into words, so I thought why not demonstrate it because actions speak louder than words. With thanks to my Facebook friends for sharing all of these real-life scenarios from their lives.
To read the whole article on HuffPost, please click here!  Bed bugs: mother’s latest paranoiac fad. Her home’s gonna’ get infested with the little devils. She’s sure of it.
Mother’s paranoia is nothing new. She’s been this way all my life. And her mother is a paranoiac, controlling narcissist too. Together they form a hysterical duo, collecting and trading dangers like some people trade baseball cards. Their “Danger Scrapbook” is second-to-none, bulging with terrors of every description. Oddly enough, none of these horrors have ever befallen them…nor anyone else in the family. Nevertheless, reality never stopped them from foisting dangers of every kind onto me. And only because they love and care about me, right!?Ah, I remember well the first time their paranoia struck me as, well, odd. Maestro? Flashback harp music, please. If you need a good laugh today, just click here! http://blogs.psychcentral.com/narcissism/2016/03/paranoiac-parents/  Narcissists do and say the funniest things.
Well, it’s only funny from a safe distance when not aimed at you! So, I thought, why not compile the funniest, the craziest, the furthest-out and most flabbergasting things narcs have said and done!? Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is renowned for his signature comedy line, “If (insert redneck trait)…you might be a redneck.” One of my favorites is, “If you have an engine hangin’ in your tree…you might be a redneck!” So I thought, why not gather tales in the same format: “If (fill-in-the-blank-with narcissist’s-shenanigans)…you might be a narcissist.” Thanks to the many subscribers and Facebook friends who generously shared their true-life “If…Then” tales for this article. They didn’t make any of this up. You can’t! You can’t make this shit up. Each one of these scenarios is 100% true. Click here if you need a good, belly laugh to break the narcissist's power! http://blogs.psychcentral.com/narcissism/2016/03/if-then-narc-1/  “At the name of {narcissism} each one of the children felt something jump…inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.” Ah, forgive me for paraphrasing the great C. S. Lewis from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. But that’s how it is when you first learn about “narcissism,” isn’t it? You either feel liberated…or angry.
That moment came and went for my Family-of-Origin this week when they finally found my website and blogs. Oh, it took them ages to find it. Their uncharacteristic lack of curiosity was most vexing. But they finally found it. Click here to read the whole story!  From time to time, all of us are faced with our own humanity, the painful consciousness of being less-than-perfect. Even narcissists are blind-sided by these moments.
But they know how to deal with them!
It's called Projection. All narcissists do it. And it really, really stinks! Read my article about Projection on Family Tree Counseling's site by clicking here! http://www.familytreecounseling.com/marksblog/?p=9398 |