tolerating always turns into resentment. at first, you call it patience, then love. but what it really is, is self abandonment. every time you swallow a boundary, excuse a pattern or silence your discomfort, something inside you keeps score. eventually, the bill comes due.
I finally understand what Machiavelli meant when he said, “Never play fair in a game where others cheat.” It doesn’t mean become evil. It means stop being naive. Stop bringing honesty to people who study manipulation, stop giving access to people who weaponize closeness, and stop expecting clean hands from people who already showed you they’ll throw dirt. Sometimes wisdom is not revenge. Sometimes wisdom is learning the rules of the room before the room uses your goodness against you.
According to psychology, people who overthink every text, every look, every silence, aren't just being dramatic. They're living with a nervous system that's been trained to detect danger in the smallest details.
They had to become mind readers to stay safe. Even in healthy relationships, their mind still scans for signs of danger.
Once I've addressed the situation multiple times & it's no changed behavior, I stop caring. It's above me now. People treat you exactly how they feel about you & on top of that you heard me & seen how it affected me the first time. At some point in life you have to know your worth & stop letting people play with you like that.