Number 2: The supply hunt
You may think you are just out getting eggs, detergent, or maybe a quick snack, but for a narcissist, this is a prime opportunity to hunt, to flirt, to charm, and scan the crowd just to boost their ego. They check people out, make inappropriate comments, or even disappear into another aisle for way too long. Sometimes they will lag, pretending to look at something else while watching you from a distance, waiting to see if you will confront them. Other times, they will speed-walk ahead as if they don’t know you, they want to be seen as single, making it seem like you are the embarrassing one.
I have seen narcissists strike up weirdly long conversations with store employees just to get attention. Some even exchange numbers under the guise of networking or being friendly. They want you to see it as harmless socializing, but it’s not that. It’s a constant need to prove that they can get anyone’s attention on command, including while you are standing right there. And when you question them if you dare, they’ll say, “You are insecure, jealous, controlling. It’s not a big deal. You are reading too much into it.” But deep down, you know it was intentional because it always is with them.
Number 3: Sabotaging your independence
This one is insidious. Let’s say you’ve gone shopping without them, okay? You took some time for yourself, bought a few things you needed, maybe even treated yourself to something small. When you get home, the energy instantly shifts. They look at your bags like you brought home poison. They either go silent, become passive-aggressive, or start nitpicking everything: “That color doesn’t suit you. Why didn’t you tell me you were going? You always spend too much when I’m not around. Don’t you already have one like that?”
The real issue is not the money, as I said, or the item, it’s the fact that you did something without them. You didn’t ask because you had to. You didn’t inform them. You exercised independence, and that is an injury to the narcissist’s ego. So they will punish you emotionally. Of course, in some cases, they will retaliate by spending recklessly themselves. They’ll go buy something ten times more expensive and flaunt it in front of you just to show who’s in charge.
You may also want to read this:
Words That Destroy a Narcissist
9 Secrets ALL Narcissists Keep
Continue reading on the next page
Sharing Is Caring!
