The greatest trick narcissists pull is doing all the right things just long enough to hook you. Once they do, the devaluation starts: intermittent reinforcement, mind games, triangulation, harsh criticism, confusion, manipulation, blame shifting, gaslighting, stonewalling…
As I get older, I understand why the Bible warns about pride, envy, lust, laziness, anger, and overindulgence. It’s not even about being super religious but it’s that you really do feel off when you’re not aligned. All these things really do make it hard to navigate though life