I will say I will be posting some stuff related to trauma, abuse and overall melancholy feelings I have at times.

The other day I read a post by a page I follow on facebook. In the post he talked about a trend that seems to get more and more popular by the day. It's about hunting "narcissists". Now I understand that these types of people are problematic in todays society and that we all need to be vigilant in regards to who we let into our lives to protect ourselves and the people around us but this type of behavior isn't okay. These groups are attacking people solely based on someone showing even the slightest bit of narcissistic tendencies and then provoking them to prove their point based on those reactions. It's absolutely abhorrent and needs to stop. In acting out this type of behavior you've become the very thing you're supposedly trying to seek out, a monster. Now this is a tough pill for some people to swallow but it's a fact, we are all capable having some narcissistic tendencies, it's normal and healthy. These type of tendencies only become unhealthy when someone has an abundance of them and doesn't take accountability for their actions and wreaks havoc on their own lives and everyone in it. This is why narcissism exists on a spectrum and running around labeling someone this term just based on one interaction you've had with them is disgusting. It's become a huge problem in society where a lot of people tend to take one moment out of someone's life and use that to define their entire life. Now, in saying this I'm not telling anyone who has suffered from narcissistic abuse not to speak their truth. In fact, I encourage more people to speak out about their experiences but to just keep in mind that, yes you've been through something horrible but don't use that experience to feel justified in labeling someone a narcissist. What you might not know is that other mental health conditions have overlapping symptoms with NPD and it would greatly increase a set back in someone's life if you saw them display one of these symptoms and then mislabeled them and then they get hated on for simply existing. This is even more troubling because victims of narcissistic abuse tend to display similar characteristics as someone with NPD because they are experiencing that trauma over and over again until they are able to heal. Simple things from a situation that traumatized them could trigger them into acting out in a way they normally wouldn't. Not a lot of people understand that when you are with a narcissist for a long time it changes you. You grow to adapt to not wanting to trigger them but you're also suppressing so much of yourself at the same time. You lose yourself in your people pleasing but you also lash out at people when something reminds you of an event from your trauma. This is why it's important to be vigilant about who you let into your life while also being receptive to someone else's possible struggles. As the old saying goes, Never judge a book by its cover.

Here are some pieces by amarniaa_draws

Beautiful cover work from a comic called "The Two Sides Of Persephone" that I stumbled upon. It's by the artist Alexandria huntington.

Recently, I learned about toxic empathy. It's such a strange thing because it's an oxymoron but it's a very real thing in the world of psychology. Basically, if you hang on too tightly to someone and over empathize with them you can end up taking on more than you should in regards to someone's situation. It comes at the cost of you losing yourself. Now, it's not a terrible thing to be an empathetic person but you have to set healthy limits in which you empathize with the person you are dealing with.

It's amazing how much you start to learn about yourself once you look at where you came from. I'm so thankful to have made it out of the place I grew up in. I have some things I need to unlearn but things are clearer by the day.

(If anyone knows the artist of this image, please lmk so I can add credit, I tried to find it but can't, thank you 😊)

Amazing artwork from @ kryptickim_tattoo on IG. If you like this piece you should give them a follow! They're incredibly talented :)