Narcissists often prioritize impressing strangers over taking care of their families and loved ones. They would rather be superficially viewed as being “good” rather than actually doing genuinely good things and being a genuinely good person.
Neglect, emotional abuse, & verbal abuse can be as devastating as physical & sexual abuse-- but the response of our culture tends to be VERY different.
This can REALLY f*ck w/ survivors' heads & keep people from thinking of themselves as trauma survivors.
You are, you know.
It's hard to let yourself feel love-- either love for someone else, or love someone is expressing toward you-- when almost every important relationship in your life has convinced you you're gonna be hurt or abandoned.
That reflexive caution isn't a "choice." It's conditioning.
be proud of how you’ve been handling these past few months. the silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you picked yourself up. celebrate your strength.