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sarahsweets
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Default Jan 13, 2019 at 04:47 AM
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ennie View Post
Do you mean the narcissistic stare, is this a theory? If you google it, there are many articles/ research on the stares of people with personality disorders, including narcissists. But I don't think the term "narcissistic stare" has been officially approved in the psychology sector.

Regarding the person who actually stares at me, I am not talking about a third party in theory. This is the person who emotionally abused me for years, so yes, this is a narcissist I know personally.

In other words, I didn't jump to a conclusion that she is a narcissist just because she was staring at me. It would not be reasonable for anyone to isolate one symptom and jump to a conclusion. Sometimes, it takes years of seeing the patterns to know a person. So in my case, the person I know to be a narcissist, was staring at me.

I've been advised to build a stronger internal wall so I don't let it bother me. It's easier said than done.

Sarah, what would you do in my situation to not let something like this bother you? I know some people have thicker skins but I am not quite there yet, so please be gracious in your response.
Thanks for clarifying I really do not know much about narcissistic people even though I may have dealt with undiagnosed people who may have had those traits. Do you have to deal with the person starring at you? Like is it possible to either avoid them altogether or severely limit contact? Can you remove yourself from them when you see they are looking at you. My only advice( and this comes after years of therapy and sobriety) is to meet their eyes with a defiant stare back even if it makes you scared sh*tless to do it, sort of like a starring contest. I do not tend to need to use my facial expressions to convey anger or defiance but when I have tried I think of how the other person is nothing to me, that they are human and I do not have to be afraid of them in order to conjure up a good stare. But this is hard to do if you have unresolved feelings and situations with this person or maybe have suffered trauma because of them. If you had asked me how I would have done this before sobriety I would not have been sure of myself or felt strong enough to do it. I guess self confidence helps with this too. I have made peace with most of my past trauma and mistakes so I feel more strength making eye contact than not making eye contact. This is extremely hard when you are in the thick of things, having an emotional "flare up" or working through some serious trauma. Its definitely easier said than done and I would never pick on someone who feels they cant stare back. To summarize, I try to fight fire with fire when I can.

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