The Narcissist “The Devil’s In The Details.”(5) By Dr. Michael Brooks
So what are my options when dealing with a narcissist, what can I do? I feel so threatened by being married to one! To be honest with you there are not many options for you. There are usually no medications for this kind of person. Most narcissists don’t believe they have problems it’s the other person fault. Many spouses living with a narcissist are at a loss of what they can do. The divorce rate for narcissist marriages is extremely high.
• You can stay and do nothing. You can keep living in a world of hurt. You can live day in and day out with the attacks, being miserable, and hating yourself for marrying the wrong person. The stress at doing nothing can cause you illness, fearing for your sanity, and hopelessness. There is not a lot of hope for you if this is the course you set your eyes on. Truly you will experience brokenness for many years to come. A narcissist will feed off of you if you stay in a bad relationship.
• You can leave the relationship and expect to regain some sanity in your life. The narcissist will hunt you down. When you leave don’t look back or give it a second thought. The narcissist will rarely change and certainly make your life miserable if you go back. So run as far and as fast as you can. You can’t help a narcissist, you can’t fix them this is a fact. They love to control and inflict pain on their victims. So don’t feel guilty when you leave. They need to fix themselves and not have you be an enabler.
• You can set up boundaries with a narcissist and protect yourself. You know my thoughts on boundaries and how they can protect us from those wanting to violate our space or hurt us. We have to stop allowing those with bad intentions to demoralize us. The narcissist could care less about your boundaries and you have to remind them that they are crossing your boundaries. Here is an example of keeping your boundaries when being used by a narcissist. Let’s say that a narcissist family member wants you to be in the middle of a disagreement between the narcissist and a friend of both of yours. You had nothing to do with this argument between them. I would simply let your narcissist family member know that they should deal with the problem as they own it and need to work this out and you will not be in the middle of this problem. Do not get in the middle of any disagreement with a narcissist. You will be used by the narcissist and you count on that. Be consistent with your boundaries at all times with a narcissist.
I know that this is a problem in many marriages and friendships. It causes so much stress in any relationship with a narcissist. I have had some past friendships where the friendship was all one sided and frankly I couldn’t deal with it. It was just too much for me so I had to take care of myself and let that person go. It was hard but oh the relief I got from moving on was exhilarating. I was free from the pain this person caused me. Believe me it had to be done. Many people who knew him had enough as well and they were done with him as well. So, you have to be the judge in taking control of your life and moving on. To be honest it was the best decision for me.
Do you need help in dealing with a narcissist in your life and want to figure out what your next steps are? Are you afraid of the person you are married to and need advice in how to talk to them? Are you seeking help for your spouse who may be a narcissist? You may ask yourself how do I talk to my spouse who is a narcissist? If you answered yes to any of these questions and would like some help contact Dr. Mike at 303.456.0555
Dr. Michael Brooks
Applicable Counseling & Coaching Services
Web: www.applicablecoaching.com
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Web: http://idontwantthisdivorce.com/
Blog:http://idontwantthisdivorce.com/blog/
E-mail: mike@applicablecoaching.com
Office: 303.456.0555
Cell: 303.880.9878