When dealing with manipulative people, setting a boundary is rarely a straightforward process. Manipulators often employ a predictable set of tactics to invalidate your feelings, avoid accountability,…
Smiling Your Way Through Hell One sign that your childhood may have been damaging is that you smile your way through hell. No matter how awful things…
Defining Stupidity vs. Foolishness The 20th-century philosopher and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, known for his resistance against the Nazi system, made the bold claim that stupidity is a…
Trap One: The Honeymoon Test The first 30 days of a new job often feel amazing. Everyone is friendly, and your boss might tell you to take…
Working Out Consistently The hardest part about working out isn’t lifting weights, running long distances, or folding into yoga poses. The hardest part is actually working out…
1. Emotional Validation and Acceptance Adult children of narcissists (ACONs) often experience emotional invalidation because their parents’ lives centered around their own emotions, leaving little room for…
The objective when dealing with a narcissist is to quarantine the damage that the narcissistic mind virus can cause by keeping it away from your authentic self….
Time Blindness and Chronic Lateness People who are constantly late are often not being lazy or disrespectful; rather, their brains process time differently in a phenomenon known…
Being Treated Like a Metaphorical Punching Bag A primary sign of being the family scapegoat is being blamed for numerous mistakes, including those that are completely out…
If you were the family scapegoat, you were never the problem, but you were treated like you were because someone had to carry the weight no one…