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Narcissists & the Power of Passive-Aggression

zari-ballard-image-quoteA narcissist’s use of passive-aggression is one of the most powerful weapons in his arsenal of evil tricks. I never even fully understood the meaning of passive-aggression until many years into my relationship with an N when it finally “clicked”. And I’m a college-educated woman! The truth is that, for many of us, life before the narcissist warranted never having a reason to have to “understand” it and that’s perfectly okay.

Without having prior experience, I didn’t exactly understand the dynamic of a true silent treatment or the real definition of the term “narcissistic”.  All my life, I thought the word narcissistic meant conceited or “full of oneself” when – oh my God – it means so much more than that!

Now that I’ve gained the experience, of course, I see that the narcissist is all about passive-aggression whether he uses it all the time or whether he uses it just when he needs it. Passive-aggression is part of the nature of these creatures and this is why, as normal humans who rarely have to deal with it, we don’t grasp what’s happening to us for such a long time. The narcissist’s use of passive-aggression is what causes us to feel that something is “off” in the relationship early on. It’s the “knowing” that something isn’t right with this person but not being able to put our finger on it. It’s the constant – almost paranoiac – sense that a whole lot is going on behind our backs even though we can’t see it, prove it, don’t hear about it, and are made to feel ashamed of it when and if we do happen to mention it to the person we think is causing it!

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Probably the best example of the narcissist’s use of passive aggression is – of course – the silent treatment. There isn’t a single person here that hasn’t felt the sting of this mind-crippling rejection tactic a zillion times over. What better way to passive-aggressively tell us we mean absolutely nothing than to silently appear to erase us off the map? Can’t get any more passive than that!

The first time my narcissist pulled a silent treatment, I thought for sure he must be dead. I mean, why else would he ignore my texts, not answer my calls, and not answer his door? It never even occurred to me that the silence was on purpose! As days passed, however, and my worry instinctively turned to something else, I did a midnight drive-by only to discover that his car, much to my horror, was indeed on the move. In other words, he was obviously out and about and very much alive! I didn’t know which was worse, thinking he was dead and rotting in his apartment or knowing that he was alive and well and ignoring me. What I did know was that I needed to puke so, just past his apartment, I pulled into a dark parking lot and that’s exactly what I did. I puked.

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Triangulation is another passive-aggressive trick of the mind executed to perfection by narcissistic partners. The narcissist skillfully and deliberately conjures up insecurities in his partner by merely speaking of or interacting normally with anybody and even any THING (think The Cell Phone Game). The interaction described or displayed can be good or bad and have the same effect. For instance, a narcissist, in casual conversation with his partner, can actually speak negatively of a girl at work in such a way that the partner instantly feels that something is going on. At the same time the partner feels suspicious, she’ll often also feel guilty for even thinking such a thing given the conversation. This is the type of narcissist-empowering passive-aggressive posturing that creates insanity! How can we feel jealous of someone whom our partner obviously doesn’t like? Or does he???? Maybe – just maybe – we really are delusional just like the narcissist claims us to be! And the next time it happens, even after discovering that we were right, we’ll still question ourselves simply because the narcissist is so good at what he does. The same thing occurs with The Cell Phone Game. Even after great sex, all my narcissist had to do was glance at his cell phone in front of me and I’d have a wave of anxiety. And he knew this too and that’s why he did it. What’s the matter with you? All I did was look at it.

I could go on and on with examples of the N’s passive-aggressive talents but I’d be preaching to the choir, right? All we need to know is that passive-aggression is the all-encompassing umbrella category under which every single narcissistic behavior can be neatly filed. Future-faking, the game of seduce and discard, giving the nefarious narcissistic blank stare, managing down our expectations, intimidating us into silence…all of this is a narcissist’s way of passive-aggressively bullying us into submission. Even if our narcissist is a screamer, getting in our face over every little thing, it is the passive-aggressive behaviors that cause us the most grief. Why? Because of the covert nature of the attack and because, in the moment, there appears to be no proof of anything even this is false. The proof is in the feeling itself. In other words, our gut feeling – our instinct – IS NEVER EVER WRONG. This phenomenon, of course, is for the Universe to explain but suffice it to say that this IS absolutely true and realizing it will save our souls.

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During my N’s first silence, even as I imagined him possibly dead, I still had an uncomfortable feeling that something even more sinister than death had happened…but I ignored it. It took hitting the road in the middle of the night and seeing it with my own eyes to believe it. This being true, how amazing that later, when the narcissist began to hoover, I was so easily convinced to get over it! Like you and me and everyone else reading this article, I always wanted to give my narcissist the benefit of the doubt. Somehow he’d create enough plausible deniability in his story that I’d let it all go. He also, in a quiet and very passive-aggressive way, let me know that if I pushed the issue, he’d just go back from whence he came. I took the easy way out.

I spent years doubting my undeniable intuition rather than accepting the truth – that this person I loved lived an entirely different life behind my back…that everything he said and did had an entirely different meaning on purpose. Passive-aggression is a very clever control tactic but unless you’ve actually experienced it coming from a narcissist, there’s simply no way to recognize its most sinister form.

Remember…to a narcissist, every day – all day – is about what he can get away with. If he can passive-aggressively make you feel you’ve absolutely lost your mind…that you’re just another psycho ex like all the rest…he’s gonna do it.

Think back to every suspicion you’ve ever had about your narcissist– no matter how seemingly irrational – and I guarantee you were spot-on. The bottom line: trust your gut instinct, my friends, because it is never wrong. You are NOT stupid or delusional and you are NOT making a big deal out of nothing. Passive aggression, as clever a tactic as it may be, is still no match for the truth it disguises. If you’re being told the truth, you simply won’t have the intuitive feeling that you’re not. Now, sometimes this feeling doesn’t come right away…sometimes it comes days or weeks or even months later…but it will always come. You won’t just figure it out, the answer will come to you. And when it does, no matter what you are told or how often it’s denied, know that you know the truth…that your intuition is never wrong. And then, act accordingly on your own behalf. If we allow it, the truth will set us free.

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29 Comments

  • TJP

    September 15, 2016 at 7:36 am Reply

    Dear Zari,
    I must commend you. Your site is amazing and ought to receive so much more public attention. I am in almost disbelief the extent to which each and every one of your posts, speak directly to me and are a complete reflection of my 11 year experience with a narcissist, my ex-partner. You refer to the imprisoning and self-deprecating, yet optimistic thought process that leads an otherwise intelligent woman to spend – waste so many years with a man of such character. Clinging on to the ‘good’ memories and so full of (futile) optimism.
    I wholly agree that they know full well what they are doing, as a personality disorder, which is clearly what this is – these people need help. At least, this was what I recommended in my Victim Impact Statement upon recently appearing in court as a witness, having been a victim of what the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) defined as, ‘Assault by Beating’.
    As explained in my statement, despite all of the emotional and eventual mental abuse, the constant abandonment that I had suffered, I could not believe that our relationship was ending with his hands on me, strangling me, in front of our daughter. I reported it to the police hoping to get a restraining order. They told me it was so serious that they would have to arrest him. I was shocked – arrest?? It took them five months to finally arrest him. Then I am told, I have to appear in court – court??!
    I cannot tell you just how surreal and invasive it is to have to stand in front of multiple strangers to disclose what was essentially my private, personal relationship. I guess it is a case of being careful what you wish for, as I had many times wished I had an arbitrator when we were in dispute, because I knew it was not I, who was telling lies or had got the facts wrong.
    As it was, and to be expected, he was found, ‘not guilty’. I did not stay for his defence statement, his lawyer had done a good job of portraying me as the aggressor, despite my being not only the victim but the witness who had been instructed to attend court on behalf of the CPS. Such is the British judicial system. I was questioned and humiliated and accused of and, of being the perpetrator. I can only imagine the lies my narcisstic ex must have told to denigrate my character – in court. Interestingly, I did not do the same, I merely stated the facts. I could have embellished the facts i.e. lied, however naturally, I chose not to.
    I could go on and on about my 11 year experience however, you have essentially already written about it via your articles. My main reason for submitting a comment is to request that you explore this topic further if at all possible as you have provided almost every possible example. I would like to ask, do you think that narcissism is an avoidable male trait (altho some women are guilty) which appears to varying degrees in all men?
    Also, my ex-partner is a cancerian, I spent many years googling; ‘cancerian men and the silent treatment’, ‘traits of cancerian men’, ‘cancerian men and abandonment’…… then, ‘silent treatment’, ‘passive aggressive men’…… I even purchased books, as I was desperate to understand my partner, I was desperate for our relationship to work, I was desperate for us to be a family. I realised that men whilst simple creatures have specific needs, I also realise that as a woman I don’t fully understand their needs or their impulses – as it is completely impossible for me to do so.
    The book, ‘Fascinating Womanhood’, which is a truly fascinating book, which suggests many things to achieve a positive outcome with one’s, partner/husband. Many of her suggestions do work, but often only in the short term. I wondered if I was too lazy as I could not possibly implement the suggestions over and over. I am not naturally manipulative, or use mind games to achieve a goal. Essentially, to be a ‘fascinating’ woman, its means having to adapt ones personality and thought process. Worth it, I guess, if it means keeping your man happy, but then what about feeling like a complete fraudster. This book goes against everything most feminists believe.
    Anyway, I digress, I wanted to ask if you could write articles which explore narcisstic males and whether this was an inherent trait, whether it is society’s imposing that all relationships be monogamous which leads to this behaviour in what is clearly very virile men. Please do not think I condone their behaviour for one minute, but as someone who seeks to achieve a balanced view in all things, I am genuinely intrigued if it is the enforced domestication of men, the requirement that men be in tune with their feelings, help with household chores, be our soul-mate and confidante, whereby once they were allowed to literally escape to the shed at the bottom of the garden or, visit the local pub each evening. Is it the re-imaging of men which leads to this behaviour. I do believe that all men have an element of Aspergers Syndrome within their character, to varying degrees. This is not to simplify the condition which has a wide spectrum – but many men seem to share such characteristics of detachment, lacking emotion and so on. The aforementioned book seemed to normalise men’s ‘narcissism’ as it offered solutions on how to deal with the kind of man that my ex partner is and was. That led me to believe it was simply male behaviour or at least, that difficult behaviour of this kind was peculiar to men.
    I eventually came across your website because after reading this link http://www.no2abuse.com/index.php/articles/comments/silent-abuse-the-mind-game-by-teresa-cooper and sending it to the police because whatever they were told in court that day, I wanted them to know what he was getting away with. I found that I needed to read more articles like the one above – I needed to know about others with this experience. I googled ‘narcisstic personality disorder’ and no website offered such a precise, specific pinned down definition or real life examples of the narcisstic experience as does yours. Your articles helped me to not feel ashamed or guilty or angry for having wasted so many years with this horrible man. A man who made me wonder many times, if he even likes women, I mean it would appear so since he has cheated with so many, some of whom the thought makes my stomach churn and I just don’t know how he did it or, how I stayed. It went against everything that I am and believe in.
    I have wished that I could send a link to this site to everyone I know he has bad-mouthed me to, to say, ‘look, this is who he is, and this has been my reality’. But, I know that unless one has lived it, they will never fully comprehend it all. That it is possible for someone to behave in this way, to cause this much pain. That the person they consider to be a reliable upstanding member of the community is in fact, a fraud.
    My daughter witnessed violence that she will always remember, it affected her at school, causes her to cry spontaneously as though her world is falling apart, in which by her own admission causes her to feel anger and all because, I held on to a man with whom I thought would allow us to be a cohesive family, with whom I wanted her to have a strong relationship and with whom I could give her happy childhood memories. However close I had come to achieving the latter, it is now all wiped away. For that I do feel guilt. Guilt that it took physical violence to finally go, No Contact – it’s been almost 9 months now. As for my daughter, she never wants to see him again. I have gently told her when I feel it is ok to discuss the issue – that she can see him whenever she wants to. I have not bad-mouthed him to her, at all. I have no doubt that he believes that I have and have told others such. However, my daughter is adamant, she wants No Contact, with whom we now refer to, at her request as, ‘That Man’.
    Abuse from a narcissist is sinister and covert and can be a lonely maddening place for the victim. Initially, when he used to disappear, I would get on with my life, throw myself into motherhood – and embark on new often challenging, hobbies. He would eventually reappear, as you know, as if nothing had happened – even after abandoning me for THREE YEARS with his child!!! I was two months pregnant, but Yes, like a fool, I still took him back – why? Because after three years, in which he had not even fully acknowledged my pregnancy, it was as though the relationship had never really ended emotionally, at least not for me – I know it was the lack of closure and absolute disbelief that an intelligent, responsible man could behave in this way.
    In later years, the pain, the accusations, the confusion became more intense and rendered me useless, unable to function for days. When you are a mother, this is not a good state to be in.
    It is so very sad that it took physical violence and being thrown out onto the streets with my daughter who had a foot injury at the time and could not even walk unaided – with all our things – that is what it took to finally reach that place emotionally, whereby I knew I would/could not look back. Any why, did he do this, because I finally exposed him, foolishly thinking that by gently broaching the topic, he would open up to me. No, I received the silent treatment for a week before being thrown out onto the street…..
    I could go on and on and on…….
    However, I thank you for this site and for being so articulate to the point that you are able to capture, express and share and bring together and make sense of all of this. Everyone and anyone who has ever experienced this abuse, needs to read the articles on this site as the fact that someone I don’t even know can tell me what I experienced without me having to say a word, is beyond comprehension and definitely aids the road to recovery and the ability to move on positively.

    • Zari Ballard

      September 16, 2016 at 4:44 pm Reply

      Hi TJP,

      I am so grateful that you connected with my website but so sorry that you’ve had to endure all this suffering. What a bastard! Here in the states (and at least in Arizona), it’s easy enough to get a restraining order just by going to a court house and asking for one. Of course, he can contest it but it does keep him at a distance. I can’t believe he was found not guilty even though the police obviously thought it important enough to want to arrest him. That is awful.

      Yes, my most recent article is all about how a narcissist’s break-up never seems real and this is why we continue to take them back almost as if they’ve never been gone. It’s like that part of our life, when they disappear, gets put in suspended animation – frozen in time – along with our feelings. I understand how horrible it is. We spend most of the relationship addicted to the very drama that we hate…addicted to the hope and the suffering. We don’t want to let go of any of it! But, as we know, we absolutely MUST let go or else we will waste the rest of our life trying to no avail.

      I am going to go to my personal email right now and send you my books in PDF. I’ll send them to the email address you used to write your post. If you don’t see it there, check your SPAM folder. I believe they will help you as well and they go into much detail about my own relationship and how I mentally broke free even before it REALLY ended for good. And if it’s ever possible for you, I do provide consultations via phone and I speak with people in the UK all of the time. There is also a really cool support group in the UK – The London Narcissist Abuse Support Group – or something like that. They just opened up a second chapter in Manchester I believe.

      You are right to go No Contact and to stay quiet even if he smears you. You can’t defend against idiocy and the very fact that you say nothing puts you in the better light. As for your daughter, you are doing everything right there as well. Let him dig his own parental grave as narcissist’s typically will do. Just be there for her and know that you are doing the best that you can. Have no guilt, my sister! How could you have possibly known? There’s is no way to see it coming if you’ve never experienced it – no way – and sometimes it takes a physical event to end it.

      Thank you for writing such a heartfelt letter…I appreciate you. It makes my own experience all worth it to be able to give comfort to someone else in this same damn boat. Recovery is a team effort:) LOOK FOR THE BOOKS – THEY WILL BE ON THE WAY IN TWO MINUTES.

      Zari xo

  • Zari Ballard

    February 25, 2016 at 12:24 am Reply

    Hi Tracy,

    Thank you for writing and I am grateful that you feel safe. However, maybe I am misunderstanding, but it sounds like you still speak with him. If so, to him, he’s perfectly happy that way because it is keeping you in the queue. Every day, all day, everything a narcissist does is about what he can get away with. If he can have a new girlfriend and complain to you about it, he basically got away with it. Of course, he is going to make it sound as if it’s nothing that he wants to be in but the truth is that no one is forcing him to stay in a relationship. This is why NC is so important. In order for you to move on, not allowing him to call whenever he feels like it to get a sympathetic – albeit neutral – ear would be a good start. I know it’s hard and at least talking to him doesn’t seem as painful as not talking to him at all…I get that. But it never works. Just beware of the intention on your end…we already know what his intention is. Narcissists are so clever…we think we’ve won and that we have things under control and then we get blindsided. He’d be in even more of a mess if you blew him off and that’s exactly what he deserves.

    Good luck and stay strong!

    Zari xo

  • Deanna Sadler

    February 19, 2016 at 10:54 am Reply

    Zari this is Deanna I haven’t been here in a few months but I tell you I will definitely be having a one on one with you. I’m ABOUT TO LOSE IT ON THIS N.

    I started coming here in Ocotober 2014. I had 17 years of misery and counting. He just want leave me alone and he is dating a much younger woman so why fuck with me. After 17 years he is pulling my heart strings with the love bombing hell I don’t know what.

    I can’t take this shit anymore because I am thinking some horrible thoughts wanting to do something to him. He is continuing to make me miserable and I keep telling myself he is crazy. If he is so happy now why continue to find a way to get at me with his bullshit. These are the questions I’m asking myself. Oh he says it the 17 now 18 year history. He made me for him even though he gone on to fuck up someone else’s life, mine, head etc.

    I’m not with him at all but he hounds me constantly with this new supply that he has in his life.

    Zari I’m angry because I can’t shake this asshole.

    Thank you but I need the one on one so much until I could scream and I will do it in the near future.

    I come and read out here I just haven’t posted lately thank you for your website because this is the only way for me. I know no other way but I tell you I need him continuing to find a way to get at me with his new woman and his bullshit. I hate him so much because he fucked my head up and I’m trying my best to go on and deal with it but my Narc keeps fucking with my head and mind with this 38 year old

    Thank you for listening I apolgize for ranting and probably not making any much sense.

    Deanna
    I’m frustrated with myself because I know what I’m dealing with.

    • Zari Ballard

      February 19, 2016 at 6:06 pm Reply

      Hi Deanna,

      My God girl….you better book a consultation. I don’t know what else more to say in a written response post. This has got to stop. He’s getting to you because you’re allowing it to happen. We can’t control the behaviors of narcs, but we CAN control our reactions to it. In that, we have a whole lotta power. He is wasting you life away with this push-pull bullshit. NO MORE!!! Together, we’ve got to work on some ways to re-train your brain. Talking about it has miraculous results. Check out the talk packages and choose what works for you. It’s time to make a change or this will continue to happen until the end of time. He is an absolute douchebag who KNOWS how to get under your skin. You deserve better!!!

      Much love,
      Zari

    • Christine

      February 23, 2016 at 11:47 am Reply

      Deanna, I hope Zari had a consultation with you. For what it’s worth, my own two cents is that he is NOT as happy as he pretends to be with this other woman. If he’s so happy with her, then why is he spending so much time and energy on YOU? The time he’s spending constantly going after you, is time he’s taking away from quality alone time with HER. If she makes him so happy, then you’d think he’d want to spend all his time with her and not spend any of it on you.

      I have never known any NORMAL person, in a truly happy relationship, who gloats about it to exes. EVER. They just move on and go on their merry way with their partners. I speak from personal experience now that I really am in a happy relationship. I just spend my time with my guy, and can honestly say that I have not told any exes about my engagement, gloated about it, rubbed it in etc (and that includes the narcissist). Why? I no longer care, whatsoever, what they think or feel. So I don’t see it being worth the time or effort to contact them. If he were truly that happy, he wouldn’t bother making the effort to get a rise out of you.

      Deanna, I know it’s hard to get through the anger and all the emotions, but try to remember that it’s all an illusion.

    • Msdori

      February 24, 2016 at 8:07 pm Reply

      Deanna,
      Be assured that he is treating the other woman the same way. If you know who she is and how to contact her, I would let her know what he is doing, woman to woman. There is a comradery between men having each other’s back even when they don’t know each other; however, women tend to place other women as ‘the enemy’ or feel as though they will appear as the ‘jealous bitch’ if they approach them with the truth…it’s all in how you handle it…but, ‘the truth shall set you free’, and possibly someone else. You have nothing to lose Good luck!

  • Christine

    February 17, 2016 at 4:41 pm Reply

    Zari, how have you been? Well, little did I know that after leaving the narcissist, feeling so lost and broken…I’d now be engaged to the wonderful boyfriend I found afterwards! (What a Valentine’s Day I had!) I’m like the reverse Carrie Bradshaw, choosing Aidan over Mr. Big. 🙂 The ring on my finger is shiny and beautiful, but also means more than that…it’s more like a symbol of how far I’ve come.

    I started off with that to give people hope that there IS life after the narcissist! However, to get to this happy place now, I had to let go of my unhappy one with the narcissist first. Towards the end, I kept getting that sinking feeling that the narcissist was sleeping with other people and laughing at me behind my back, even while smiling to my face. I can’t even verbalize the agony of the final, week long silent treatment, but I will just say I wouldn’t even wish it on my worst enemy. Eventually, I got tired of all these toxic feelings I was experiencing and decided, enough was enough. I sent one final, dispassionate text breaking things off with him. I also immediately blocked his phone number, to not give him any opportunity to reply. I’m still proud of myself for turning the tables on the narcissist to give HIM a silent treatment…forever.

    In hindsight, that is one of the best decisions I ever made. If I hadn’t left, that stupid passive-aggressive, “I love you, I hate you” dance would have stolen way too much time away from me. I didn’t have any concrete, “smoking gun” type of evidence of the cheating, but just moved on my gut instinct. That little voice inside you will never steer you wrong. It is not arbitrary, but is always there for good reason. I have NEVER heard from it again with my fiancee (well, because he DOES tell me the truth, so I never feel like he’s lying to me). We all just need to trust ourselves that those sinking feelings are nature’s warning signal to protect us from further harm. Even if people don’t remember anything else from this website, at least remember that! Keep the faith and keep strong!

    • Zari Ballard

      February 19, 2016 at 7:28 pm Reply

      Hi Christine,

      Oh we know it means more but SHINY AND BEAUTIFUL IS FRIGGING AWESOME! Congrats, sister, and thank you for sharing. As always, you offer hope and proof that life exists beyond the rabbit hole if we only allow ourselves to get there. Our gut feeling is ALWAYS RIGHT. It’s all about that little voice that we all hear and often ignore. Everyone speaks of it because it is very real and it is THERE FOR A REASON. It doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear but too bad – if we ignore it, nothing good EVER happens.

      You listened to your gut instinct and it eventually brought you a reward – a KEEPER! The Universe gave us INTUITION as a guide to all the right things and as a big warning bell against the bad. If we listened to it as often as it spoke to us, we’d all breeze through life but humans are driven by emotions and it is often after the fact that we heed the message. Again, the voice doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear but the truth is that if we take the warning, the reward, even if not immediate, will be beyond what we could possibly imagine at the time. We must believe this.

      I always think of the scene from The Wizard of Oz in the very end between Dorothy and The Good Witch, Glenda. Dorothy is heart-broken, feeling she has lost all chance of ever getting back to Kansas. Glenda listens for a minute and says something like, “Oh Dorothy…silly girl…you’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas. You’ve had it all along”. “Why didn’t you tell me???” Dorothy asks, shocked. “Because you wouldn’t have believed me,” Glenda replies. “You had to find out for yourself.” No one can do this for us but us. Our power is in our REACTION to the narcissist’s behaviors. We have complete control over that whether we know it or not. It has always been within our power thanks to that little voice that we have to learn to listen to.

      Congrats, Christine! I am so grateful that you keep returning to share the happy ending…

      Zari xo

      • Christine

        February 23, 2016 at 11:27 am Reply

        What a fantastic analogy Zari! That is so true. In all this time, I really did have the power to have the loving relationship I wanted–by listening to those inner alarm bells, setting healthy boundaries for myself and not accepting anything less. I just had to discover that power.

        I’m living proof of exactly what you said. By ending things with the narcissist, I sent out a message to the universe that I will NOT tolerate passive-aggressiveness any longer, and that I want someone who treats me with the respect I deserve. Then surely enough…a few months later I got my reward, a great guy who truly does respect and cherish me. At the time (and for months after) I didn’t know that my REAL soulmate was in the wings–and that being with him would be far more fulfilling than the manufactured fake “soulmate” the narcissist pretended to be. Once I did get my reward, it was even better than I could have imagined, because it’s based on something real. Everyone here has a better reward waiting, but you’ve got to first unshackle the narcissist’s chains. Everyone here, keep the faith!

  • JS

    February 16, 2016 at 3:54 pm Reply

    Zari, they try to turn it around and put it in your lap that they are willing to work at it and it’s you who make things impossible. It’s you who they can’t live with, you who suffocate them and they’re scared of you. Then you second guess yourself and think I can’t stop this, how do I break this pattern of suspicion and accusation, maybe he isn’t always guilty, maybe I’m impossible. But I’m not this way, he made me this way and now he doesn’t like it. Do you see the craziness of it all? You never win and chase your tail in circles.

  • Msdori

    February 16, 2016 at 10:02 am Reply

    Zari, You hit the nail, again! You took the words right from my years of experiencing relationships with N’s. Listen to your ‘gut instinct’, your intuition, save the grief. It becomes a challenge to ‘prove’ your intuition is right and your ‘not’ crazy as the N portrays you to be because he will never give you a clue as to what he is up to…will never admit anything even when ‘caught in the act’. It can take a long time to ‘discover factual proof’ and it only adds to the N’s ability to ‘control your life’…don’t waste your time, the little comfort you get from the ‘aha! moment of discovery, doesn’t make the end result any better.

    • Zari Ballard

      February 16, 2016 at 1:56 pm Reply

      Hi MsDori,

      That’s right, girl. There comes a point, if we allow it, that all we NEED is out gut feeling to validate a suspicion. My ex loved to say “Oh yeah? You can’t prove that” and for the first 100 years, I felt he was right and I’d cry and beg and blah blah for him to tell me the truth or I’d simply concede. In the end, however, he’d still say it but my instantaneous response would instead be this: “Oh yes I can. I’m ON to you motherfucker – and that’s all the proof I need!” It was a RELIEF knowing that I didn’t have to step beyond my own shadow to find confirmation. Man oh man…that pissed him off! LOL

      Rock on and stay strong, sister!

      Zari xo

    • Christine

      February 17, 2016 at 5:15 pm Reply

      That is such a great comment. You’re right, there really IS no good purpose served by waiting around for “factual proof” or an “aha” moment. Even the sinking feeling and suspicions feel bad enough, why make it even worse by actually catching the narcissist in the act? Your gut instinct is all the real validation you need, to leave.

      I actually did something kinda crazy to try to get “proof”. I actually hunted through craigslist personal ads to try to find him and catch him in the act of trying to lure in other women! There was one particular ad that really stood out to me and really sounded just like him. When I read it, my heart just sank. Now, I can’t definitively prove it was really him behind that pseudonym, but it wouldn’t shock me if it was.

      However, I ultimately decided it wasn’t worth my time and energy to try to link it to him.
      Thankfully, my better instincts took over and I wondered, WTF am I doing, combing through sleazy ads, and playing amateur sleuth??? It’s something that I NEVER normally do at ALL. Just the fact that I was suspicious enough to have done a thing like that was enough for me…I decided, I didn’t need a final nail in the coffin proving it was him. I decided to just walk away from the nonsense, once and for all, and try to keep my dignity.

      A trustworthy person, like my fiancee, doesn’t invoke suspicious feelings in you and make you want to play “detective”. If you ever even feel like amateur sleuthing, get out! And for goodness sakes, leave detective work to actual detectives!

  • Dumbfounded

    February 16, 2016 at 8:20 am Reply

    Zari, thank you, you’re message always comes when I need it. I stupidly gave him another chance Valentine’s weekend. He claimed he wanted to have a nice talk explain everything, the whole truth. Well he tells me he still sees his friend but is in the process of getting rid of her, he had legal problems her having him arrested and his probation is almost over and he has to do it his way. He wants to buy a house within the next few months and spend the rest of his life with me and will break all ties with her after knowing her for 5 years. But he has to do it his way, can’t have her get spiteful for a little while longer until probation is done. She is married by the way and has no intention of leaving her husband. So after explaining all of this he walks off because he has to make a phone call now it’s Valentine’s Day, disappears for 15 min. When he returns I asked him flat out who’d you call, was it her? He says yes, she called me so I returned the call. Zari I wanted to take a Greyhound bus home just to get away from him. I told him don’t you see how disrespectful that is. He says she knows I’m with you. I said oh I don’t doubt she suspects that. He apologized but I was left so far away mentally and humiliated. He thought getting together after being away drom each other for 6 months and having talked truthfully was a positive move in the right direction. Am I crazy, how does he think anyone would find this acceptable. Once again trying to keep me away buying time and promosing a future. In the middle of the night I thought I heard his phone ring and vibrate, he said it was the tv. The blinking light is always fon his phone indicating a call or message, the ringer on off most of the time. He goes to the bathroom and I figure he’s making a call. Anytime he walks away I wonder. When he’s in the bathroom. He looks at items in stores for his daughter, feel he’s buying for someone else. He can’t deal with my crazy behavior. Iwasn’t like this at the beginning when I had no doubts. Am I the psycho? He calls me Sherlock Homette. Only leads me to believe I’m probably 98% correct about my suspicions. Terrible way to have to be. I’m so mad at myself that I really wanted to believe hom and had hoped a dim glimmer of hope he would be sincere this time. I cannot be acceptable to any of this.

    • Zari Ballard

      March 5, 2016 at 6:14 pm Reply

      Hi Dumbfounded,

      Go back to NC and pretend that what just happened never happened. He is never going to change…not for you, not for anybody. Cut your losses now before it’s way too late. We only have one life and we waste enough time loving monsters who can’t love us back. It just isn’t worth it…not even for the few good memories that they give us. Stop accepting crumbs. Block his ass once and for all and go find the happiness that you deserve. I’m here if you need me, sister…

      Zari xo

      • Break through

        March 12, 2016 at 10:47 pm Reply

        Zari, thank you. Today almost a month now I feel like I’m going to be okay. Gathered all the reminders of him, clothing, mementos, souvenirs, cards, etc. placed them all in a bag and tossed it in the garbage can. Even erased all voice mail messages. Finally feeling nothing at all, no sorrow. Actually feel free of his invisible hold on me.

        • Zari Ballard

          March 14, 2016 at 4:13 pm Reply

          Hi Break through,

          Right on! You did the absolute right thing. Now. run with that feeling and never look back. Time is too short to waste on these fools…

          Zari xo

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