Why Self-Care Is So Important For Victims Of Narcissistic Abuse

Self-care is vital for victims of narcissistic abuse. It can be difficult to take care of yourself when you’re constantly dealing with someone who is always putting you down, making you feel unworthy, and manipulating you. But it is so important to find ways to nurture yourself, even when it feels like everything is against you.

What Is Self-Care

Self-care refers to the actions and practices that individuals take to take care of their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is an essential aspect of maintaining good health and well-being. Self-care can include a wide range of activities such as exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, practicing mindfulness and meditation, journaling, therapy, and connecting with supportive friends and family. It also includes setting healthy boundaries, saying no when needed, setting priorities, and taking time to relax and engage in activities that bring joy and pleasure. The goal of self-care is to promote overall well-being and improve the ability to cope with stress, illness, and other challenges.

Why Is Self-Care so Important for Victims of Narcissistic Abuse?

Self-care is important for all people, but it is especially important for victims of narcissistic abuse. Victims of narcissistic abuse have often been emotionally and psychologically abused for years. They may have been told that they are not good enough, that they are stupid, or that they are worthless. This can take a toll on their mental and emotional health.

Self-care is a way for victims of narcissistic abuse to rebuild their self-esteem and start to love themselves again. It is a way for them to reconnect with their inner selves and find peace. Self-care can involve anything from taking a bath to writing in a journal to spending time with friends.

Whatever form it takes, self-care is an important step on the road to recovery for victims of narcissistic abuse.

How Can Victims of Narcissistic Abuse Practice Self-Care?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to practice self-care will vary from person to person. However, some tips that may be helpful for victims of narcissistic abuse include:

1. Establishing and sticking to healthy boundaries. This is essential for preserving your mental and emotional health and can be especially challenging when you have been in a relationship with a narcissist.

2. Taking care of yourself physically. This includes getting enough exercise, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep.

3. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Practices like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing can help you to center yourself and reduce stress.

4. Expressing your feelings. It can be healing to express your thoughts and emotions, whether through writing, talking to a friend, or therapy.

5. Seeking support. There is no shame in seeking help from a therapist or other support system as you work through the aftermath of a narcissistic relationship.

Trusting Yourself Again

When you had a Narcissist in your life for a long time, you suffer trauma. The huge effects that narcissistic abuse can cause are severe not only in your body but on your brain. You can literally lose yourself and who you are as a person. You can question yourself and lose trust in your decisions. Self-care also means beginning to trust yourself again. You have to commit to a decision and go with it. You don’t need anyone’s approval, you got this!

Trus the gut feeling in you and validate yourself. 

Be Angry, It’s OK! 

After everything you have been through let yourself be angry, suppressing your feeling will only make them bigger, will make you sicker and your body will take the toll. Go to a gym and hit the punching bag with all the force you can as many times you have to and tell me later if you didn’t feel better. The many time the narcissist made you feel guilty for being angry, do that now and change the pattern that has been in your brain for a long time. 

Many of us once we realized how fooled we were by the narcissist get angry and want them to pay for what they put us through, for wasting our time, for pretending to like what we liked just to trick us and manipulate us. But here is the twist, if you reach out on anyway to make them pay they will take that as a sign of green light for them to continue the abuse.

With all this being said, Self-care also means to move on and don’t look back, focus on YOU. nobody else matters more at this moment than you. Put all the energy you have into yourself.

Take one day at a time. 

Protect Your Peace

Once you start to feel peace, it might feel weird at first, and the paranoia that something is about to break in your life. That is the trauma, in reality, is the fact that you have begun o heal and to feel peace, You might also feel exhausted, OF COURSE! Think about it, you have been in a fight or flight mode, walking on eggshells for a long time so it is normal for your brain to feel this way but sleeping is great for your healing journey. Sleeping without someone makes you feel guilty about it. Sleep knowing you are free and everything is ok. Sleep because you deserve it and you need it. 

Once you can finally start feeling that glance of peace, breath, enjoy it, and most important Protect it.

Protecting your peace requires you to become selfish, and to put your needs first for the first time in a long time. Protecting your peace also means DO NOT LET ANYONE BOTHER YOU, Block the narcissist and the flying monkeys on all social media, emails, and communication devices. At the end of the day, what other people talk about you is non of your business, those who are your real friends and family will ask you before judging you. 

Rewired Your Brain

With the long abuse comes the trauma and with the trauma, you develop a behavior. Believe it or not our brains can get used to the abuse and think that it is normal. This is why so many people after being abused go out with another abuser. If you have never had a peaceful environment it can feel very odd and as if something is about to break in your life. When you finally escape the abuse and want to change the cycle you also need to re-wire your brain. If the abuse became normal now you have to add good thoughts into your daily life and you need new habits for the new peaceful normal to stick. 

Without New habits, you might self-sabotage yourself again and again.

What are the Benefits of Self-Care for Victims of Narcissistic Abuse?

• Helps to reduce the symptoms of trauma: Narcissistic abuse can cause trauma in the victim, which can lead to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Self-care can help to reduce the symptoms of trauma by providing a sense of control and stability.
• Helps to improve self-esteem: Narcissistic abuse can cause victims to doubt their own abilities and self-worth. Self-care helps to improve self-esteem by promoting positive self-talk, self-compassion, and self-acceptance.
• Helps to improve physical health: The stress of being in an abusive relationship can cause physical health problems such as headaches, stomach problems, and high blood pressure. Self-care practices such as exercise, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep can help to improve physical health.
• Helps to improve emotional regulation: Narcissistic abuse can cause victims to struggle with regulating their emotions. Self-care practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and journaling can help to improve emotional regulation.
• Helps to improve relationships: Narcissistic abuse can cause victims to have difficulty trusting others, making it hard for them to form new relationships. 

Why is Self-Care so Important?

Self-care can help victims to regain their sense of self-worth. When you are constantly targeted and put down by someone else, it can be very difficult to maintain a positive view of yourself. However, through self-care, victims can start to rebuild their self-esteem and see themselves in a positive light once again.

Self-care can also help victims to regain their sense of control. When you are constantly being manipulated and abused by someone else, it can feel like you have no control over your own life. However, through self-care, victims can start to take back control of their lives and make their own decisions once again.

Self-care can also help victims to regain their sense of purpose. When you are constantly being made to feel like you are worthless and have no purpose, it can be difficult to find meaning in life. However, through self-care, victims can start to find new meaning in their lives and see themselves as valuable human beings once again.

Self-care can also help victims to find support. When you are constantly being isolated and made to feel like you are alone, it can be difficult to find support from others. However, through self-care, victims can start to connect with other people who have been through similar experiences and who can offer them support and guidance.

Ultimately, self-care can help victims to rebuild their lives. When you have been through narcissistic abuse, it can feel like you are a different person and that you will never be the same again. However, through self-care, victims can start to rebuild their lives and become the person that they want to be.

Summary 

Self-care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself when you’re dealing with narcissistic abuse. It can be tough to find time for yourself when you’re always dealing with the chaos and drama of the abuse, but it is crucial that you make time for yourself. Nurture yourself, do things that make you happy, and don’t forget to breathe. It’s important for victims of narcissistic abuse to prioritize self-care and make it a regular part of their daily routine. You deserve it.