Shahida Arabi

These women may be browbeaten, bullied, shamed, criticized, disempowered in many ways, by many different people – but one thing they all have in common is their ability to rise again from the ashes of their adversity.

You don’t play.

If you’ve ever asked yourself if you’re the one who’s a narcissist, you may want to read this.

Empaths are not all “light and love.” Far from it. Many struggle with depression, anxiety, various addictions and self-doubt due to their high sensitivity and receptiveness to taking on the emotions of others.

The real reasons Hannah Baker committed suicide are much more complex than you might think.

Social media has been blamed for breeding narcissists, but the fact of the matter is, narcissists have always existed. Social media has just given them an extra tool to terrorize people.

Alpha women do not tend to settle down easily nor do they settle for just anyone. This is the type of woman who isn’t afraid to be alone – so if she’s spending her time with you, it can be quite the compliment. But what actually turns an alpha woman on – and captures her attention long-term?

Recognize that when an INFJ has called you out, it’s not because they don’t care for you or love you. In fact, it’s usually because they care enough and are invested in the relationship to try to make it work. Rather than shutting down or criticizing them for expressing their needs, it’s best to find a common ground and validate their emotions.

Strangely, pleasure and pain make love a more intense and “rewarding” experience for the brain than stable, consistent romance.

“The most difficult aspect of co-parenting is the belief that it’s actually possible to co-parent with the narcissist. Co-parenting means you both are committed to raising the child with the child’s best interest at heart. The narcissist does not have the child’s best interest at heart, regardless of how hard he (or she) tries to portray himself as the perfect parent.”

Love-bombing – the excessive praise and flattery a predatory partner showers on their prey – might as well be crack cocaine. It is a common manipulation tactic used by cults to control their members – and in a relationship with a narcissist, you become a one-man cult.

The female malignant narcissist is not just vain and self-absorbed. She is also a covert bully who ensnares fellow female friends, relationship partners and family members into her toxic web.

Agency, independence and the ability to thrive on your own terms is very threatening to a toxic individual. Toxic people require that their victims be isolated – success, economic empowerment and a solid support network all threaten this, so they feel they have to take back the reins on the parts of your life that grant you a sense of stability and self-actualization.

It’s wonderful to embrace each other’s flaws in a relationship, but there’s a difference between tolerating inevitable differences and tolerating toxicity. The former can strengthen an existing bond, while the latter leads to self-destruction.

You’re no longer part of the narcissist’s captive audience, waiting to be “chosen.” You’ve chosen yourself instead.

Anyone can be a target for an emotional predator – simply being human makes you vulnerable to these toxic types. That being said, it is important to acknowledge the traits that a narcissist looks for in a target so that victims can better protect themselves and cut ties earlier on, especially when they become aware that they’re being exploited.

The most ignorant members of society call this type of woman “damaged.” But she is the most powerful type of woman there is. The so-called “damaged” woman doesn’t sign up for the hardships of her journey – but she plays the hell out of the cards she’s been dealt.

Full-fledged psychopaths appear to be rarer than your garden-variety narcissist, but there are narcissists who possess psychopathic traits.  These are what we would call “almost psychopaths,” those who may blend more easily into society, but still chronically violate the rights of others.