Taking Back your Power from a Master Manipulator & It is much easier to recognize toxic relationships when we have better situations to compare them to.

Master manipulators are afraid of being found out and being seen as fake or phony. Manipulators often have no self-confidence so they need validation from others all the time to bolster their ego and give them some sense of security. In order for manipulators to manipulate someone else, they first need to control themselves and not let anyone see their true nature.

Ideally, we’d live in a world where we could choose to avoid toxic people at all costs, but we don’t always have that luxury. Sometimes our toxic relationships are unavoidable.

Another way to disarm a master manipulator is to let them know you know what they’re doing. Call them out. If someone is gaslighting you or asking intentionally leading questions to elicit a negative response from you, it is within your power not to participate.

If we aren’t going to have an honest discussion about this, I’m not going to participate. I’m ending this conversation.

One way to disarm someone who insists on pushing buttons is to respond with emotional neutrality. It might take every ounce of strength to do it, but instead of reacting in an emotionally explosive way, take the emotion completely out of your response and then walk away.

Set boundaries.

Don’t give them what they want.

Abusive people feed off negative emotion and they know exactly how to push buttons to elicit a negative response from us. We can see it coming a mile away.

Avoid isolation.

Emotional manipulators work hard to keep you dependent on them emotionally, financially, romantically, professionally, or any combination of these.

They will often manipulate you into withdrawing from relationships with other people in order to exert more control over you.

Having the wherewithal to recognize that you aren’t spending enough time with other friends and loved ones is the first step towards breaking free of a manipulator’s grip over you.

You need a strong support system and healthy relationships to help ground you. It is much easier to recognize toxic relationships when we have better situations to compare them to.