How Narcissistic Abuse Affects You

Narcissistic abuse is a very challenging experience for anyone to go through. When you are involved with a narcissist, your life is turned upside down and inside out.

As professional counselors, we understand how important it is to receive help. Part of your support system might be family and friends. Consider us part of your support system.

Mental Effects of Narcissistic Abuse

The mental effects of being with a narcissist are severe. One of the biggest challenges for survivors is dealing with mental difficulties. It is natural to find yourself trying to make sense of something that does not make sense.

Mental Signs and Symptoms

• Blaming someone or yourself
• Feeling confused
• Disorientation of time or place
• Questioning everything
• Heightened or lowered alertness
• Hypervigilance
• Increased or decreased  awareness of surroundings
• Intrusive thoughts and images
• Increase or loss of sleep
• Nightmares
• Challenges poor abstract thinking
• Difficulties seeing and understanding the big picture
• Inability to concentrate
• Memory loss
• Decrease in ability to problem-solve
• Suspiciousness
• Feeling uncertain

Behavioral Effects of Narcissistic Abuse

Navigating the difficulties of life with a narcissist is extremely challenging. Survivors make many changes in their behavior on purpose with the hopes of settling the unstable life with the narcissist. You may have found yourself making changes to your behavior to make life with the narcissist more manageable. You may also make changes to your behavior without noticing it for the same reasons.

Behavioral Signs and Symptoms

• Changes in social activity
• Decreased activity
• Erratic movements
• Hyperalert to the environment
• Inability to rest
• Increased alcohol consumption
• Intensified pacing
• Isolation
• Loss or increase in appetite
• Withdrawal

Emotional Effects of Narcissistic Abuse

When you are involved with a narcissist, it is common to experience a wide range of emotions. The emotional highs and lows are too many to count. Over time,e as you experience the narcissistic cycle of abuse, the lows begin to outweigh the high moments. The highs of the relationship that typically happen in the love bombing and beginning stages of the relationship fade. This leaves you hoping for the relationship to be restored one day.

Emotional Signs and Symptoms

• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Apprehension
• Denial
• Depression
• Emotional outbursts
• Emotional shock
• Fear
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Grief
• Guilt
• Inappropriate emotional response
• Intense anger
• Irritability
• Loss of emotional control
• Panic

The Physical Effects of Narcissistic Abuse

When your body responds to the stress and trauma caused by the narcissistic abuse, listen. The physical response is your body’s way of letting you know you are in an unhealthy and unsafe situation. It is your body’s alarm system going off on the inside. You might find yourself feeling some of these physical symptoms before you have contact with the narcissist. It is also common to experience some of these physical symptoms after the narcissist has left. Pay attention to your body.

Physical Signs and Symptoms

• Chest pain
• Chills
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Elevated bp
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Grinding of teeth
• Headaches
• Muscle tremors
• Nausea
• Profuse sweating
• Rapid heart rate
• Shock symptoms
• Thirst
• Twitches
• Visual difficulties
• Vomiting
• Weakness
• Weight loss or gain

You don’t have to figure everything out right now, just choose what feels right to begin.

---