Narcissists are not people any of us should allow in our lives, and far too often we end up way in over our heads with them. Narcissists are some of the most manipulative and damning people, and avoiding them is one of the best things a person can do.

If you ever find yourself in a relationship with a narcissist, you will learn quickly how damaging they are. The narcissist will start off nice and charming, but as time goes by the closer you get, the worse he or she will become. Sure, things might be perfect for a while, but the more in control he or she becomes, the less yourself you will end up.

Narcissists go out of their way to completely tear apart any sense of reality their partners have. They do this so that they can gain complete control over them. Now, if you don’t know what gaslighting is, you really need to pay attention. Gaslighting is a form of abuse that comes in many different ways. It is made up of lots of manipulation tactics and is not always easy to spot.

Below, I am going to go over some of the things you need to keep your eye out for. These are ways in which narcissists will try and gaslight you. If they succeed at these things, you might end up wondering who you are and how you got where you are, literally.

10 Ways Narcissists Will Gaslight You Into Thinking You Are Insane:

1. They say one thing and do another.

Narcissists never follow through, they are always saying they are going to do something and never actually doing it. They just don’t care to make the effort.

2. They do things to confuse you on purpose.

They will say and do things that make you feel confused. This is something they are doing on purpose. They do this because the more confused you become the more power they will have over you.

3. They isolate you.

The narcissist will want to cut you off from everyone who cares about you. They will want you to stop seeing your friends and your family. This is because they do not want you to have anyone else to turn to when things get bad.

4. They tell blatant lies.

Narcissists tell lies that are quite obvious. You will know they are lies, but have nothing to call them out with. This is something they will do frequently because they want to confuse you. While it may seem odd at first, as time passes it will really make things hard.

5. They’re always calling you crazy.

Narcissists will call you crazy for just about anything. Sometimes they may even get you worked up just to make it seem like you’re lashing out. They want you to feel crazy.

6. They use positive reinforcement as a confusion tactic.

The narcissist will also use kind words as a means of confusing you. When you are at your worst, he or she might come in and say something sweet. This makes you feel like you have overreacted when you haven’t.

7. They use your insecurities against you.

The narcissist will find out all of your weaknesses and use them against you. If you struggle with your weight, he or she will call you fat. If you don’t like your nose, it will come up. They love to learn about the things you do not like about yourself.

8. They use the things you care about against you.

They will bring up the things that matter the most to you when times are tense. This is because they want you to feel like complete shit so that they can come in and get what they want later. If you say you won’t do something they want you to do, they may bring up your children or even a pet. Yes, they are that petty.

9. They force you to change one way or another.

Narcissists are good at forcing change. They will push and push until they get what they want. You cannot avoid it, no matter how hard you try.

10. They blame you for everything.

Narcissists will make you feel like you are always doing something wrong, even when you’ve done nothing at all. Things you cannot even control will be blamed on you. They do this because they see you as the root of all issues.