Dealing with a narcissistic spouse can be incredibly frustrating and painful because they often lack empathy and understanding. Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition that can lead to a person having an inflated sense of self, and a lack of empathy for others. It can often lead to selfish behavior and make conflict resolution difficult. If you are married to a person with this type of personality, it’s important to share with them how you’re feeling. It’s also important to set boundaries and stick to them. Finally, take care of your own mental health and know your own limits. Hopefully, you and your significant other can learn to get along more peacefully and you can learn to accept their limitations and work around them.
Dealing with a Narcissistic Spouse: Recognizing NPD and Navigating Conflict
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a diagnosed mental health condition. A person with NPD might have an inflated sense of self-worth, or feel that they are superior to everybody else. They might blame others for their problems, have difficulty with healthy conflict resolution, or generally lack empathy for others. While there are many egotistical people in the world, not everybody with a big head is a narcissist. Speaking with a clinician can give you a better idea of whether or not your spouse is displaying behavior that coincides with NPD.
Share Your Feelings
If you are married to a narcissistic spouse, it’s important to share your feelings with them. People with NPD are not always aware of how their actions damage the mental health of those around them. Because they only think about their own feelings, it might not occur to them how you’re feeling. Speak up and share your thoughts, but try to do so in a way that does not point blame or accusations. Otherwise, you probably won’t get very far with your conversation.
Set Boundaries
It’s also important to set boundaries with a narcissistic spouse. People with NPD often display extreme jealousy and controlling behavior. They also do not like being told what to do. However, it’s important to stand up for yourself. For example, you might say “I don’t appreciate it when you make fun of my friends. I won’t engage in conversations like that any longer.” Set boundaries, and stick to them.
Take Care of Yourself
Finally, when dealing with a narcissistic spouse, it’s important to take care of yourself. Surround yourself with a support network and seek counseling if you are struggling. Additionally, it’s important to know when to draw the line. Some people are able to work around the limitations of being married to somebody with NPD. However, nobody deserves to be in a marriage that makes them unhappy. And if your partner ever crosses a line and becomes emotionally or physically abusive, it’s time to consider divorce.
Narcissistic personality disorder is a tricky mental health condition to navigate. People with narcissistic personalities often struggle with long-term relationships and commitment. They feel superior to others and generally lack empathy, which can make dealing with a narcissistic spouse very aggravating. It’s important to let them know how their behavior affects your mental health. It’s also important to set boundaries with them and then stick to them. But at the same time, you need to know your own limits. You deserve to be happy. Hopefully, you and your spouse can learn to navigate their disorder, but if not, it might be time to consider the kind of future you want.