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Vital and Helpful Information about COVID-19 (Coronavirus)


The goal of this post is to provide an easily digestible summary of the most important information on the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation.

The first version of this article is on March 20, 2020, so it may not include some of the old basic information that I will assume most people interested in knowing already know (what it is, how it started, how it spreads, etc.). I may or may not add some information later.

Abuse

How Narcissists Use Silent Treatment for Manipulation


If you have ever interacted with a person who exhibits strong narcissistic or other dark personality traits, you have likely experienced what is known as the silent treatment.
What Is Silent Treatment?
The silent treatment can be defined as the following: a passive-aggressive form of emotional abuse in which displeasure, disapproval, and contempt is exhibited through nonverbal gestures while maintaining verbal silence.

Abuse

7 Ways Narcissists Make You Feel Inferior


People with strong narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopathic, and other dark personality traits (thereafter called narcissists) have a low and fragile sense of self-esteem. In order to cope, they need to constantly feel better than others. They always compare themselves to others and when they feel threatened, they will try to make the other person feel worse to elevate themselves and feel superior. Indeed, they think hierarchically and this plays out in different ways.

In this article we will review a few common tactics narcissists use to feel better than others, even if it hurts others and, oftentimes, precisely because it hurts others.

Abuse

How Feeling Not Good Enough Makes You Unhappy

Most of us occasionally question ourselves, sometimes feel self-doubtful, or challenge ourselves to try harder. People who chronically feel not good enough, however, are unable to escape this feeling, ever. Consequently, this becomes their main motivator in life. It is also their biggest burden since it can never be satisfied, no matter how hard or often the person tries to satisfy it.

Abuse

The Effects of Trauma from “Growing up Too Fast”


One of the most common euphemisms and justifications for a certain type of childhood trauma is “growing up too fast.” It is a euphemism because it is used to minimize the pain that the person felt as a child when their needs weren’t being met by describing it in seemingly neutral or even positive language. It’s a justification because it is often used to argue that growing up faster and becoming “mature beyond your years” is indeed a good thing.

We will explore and address all of this here.

Abuse

5 Reasons Why People Stay Silent About Being Abused

"There are far too many silent sufferers. Not because they don't yearn to reach out, but because they've tried and found no one who cares." — Richelle E. Goodrich
People’s definition of ‘abuse’ varies, but all of us have experienced abuse at one point or another. For example, bullying, physical attacks, intimidation, neglect, emotional manipulation, verbal abuse, ganging up, triangulation, character assassination, etc., are all common and typical forms of abuse. People experience abuse in their relationships with their parents, siblings, other family members, teachers, peers, classmates, coworkers, friends, acquaintances, romantic partners, neighbors—anybody, really.

Abuse

Setting Healthy Versus Unhealthy Boundaries in Toxic Relationships


This article is a continuation of my series on boundaries. It is strongly recommended to read the introductory article first before continuing with this article. Here’s the link: An Introduction To Boundaries and Why We Need Them.
To quickly summarize the definition, boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that a person creates to identify for themselves what are reasonable, safe, and permissible ways for other people to behave around them and how they will respond when someone steps outside those limits.
In this article, we will explore the differences between healthy and unhealthy boundaries, with examples.

Abuse

Triangulation: The Narcissist’s Best Play


Within the vast catalogue of toxic behavior, triangulation is amongst the most well-known. It is very common, especially among narcissistically inclined individuals, and can be overt, or insidious, and many people don’t even realize they have been triangulated until it is too late. Indeed, those who regularly manipulate others will resort to triangulation because it is an easy, low cost but high yield behavior.

Abuse

How Lack of Love in Childhood Robs Us of Love in Adulthood


Love is a feeling that motivates us and leads us to better ourselves and the lives of those around us. Love is closely related to things like joy, family, satisfaction, care, and love is something we all seek to embrace in our relationships with others.

Yet for many people, love is pain, love is grief, and seeking love with others only leads to more pain and more grief. Unfortunately, this is a seemingly inescapable cycle that you and...