One of the toughest things about dealing with a narcissist is finding ways to cut them off.
It is not an easy thing to do, however, it is incredibly rewarding, and once they are in the rear view mirror, your quality of life will start to improve immediately.
The more you know about dealing with narcissists, the better equipped you are to react in a smart way so you do not stay tethered to them.
If you let them, narcissists, will drain you financially, emotionally, and psychologically, so being able to cut them off is incredibly important.
If you stay connected, they will continue to abuse and manipulate you, in their constant need to prove themselves superior to everyone around them.
Narcissists have plenty of strategies when it comes to ways to make you keep them around, but if you know how to cut them off, then there is only so much they can do to stay.
There is not one hard and fast rule for cutting off narcissists which will work every time since they are all different, because of this, we are going to give you a variety of techniques and strategies to try so you can be more well equipped with the knowledge you need and how to move on!
Do Not Give Them Another Chance
If you successfully communicate with the narcissist in your life that you are cutting them off and trying to get away, one of the most common things they will try is to get another chance.
If you are an empathic and forgiving person, then it is easy to fall for this, but if you know that this person is a narcissist, then this is nearly always an act.
They will likely pretend to change until they are secure that you will not leave them, and then revert back to the behavior that made you cut them off in the first place.
This cycle will keep on repeating, and you will keep being a victim to their behavior, until you stop giving them chances, so make sure that you do not even give them the first chance!
Understand That They Will Not Change
This is related to the previous point, but one thing which can help you mentally prepare for cutting off a narcissist is understanding that they are almost always incapable of change.
When you cut them off, they will make promises of change, they usually know what they were doing wrong, and will say that they will change, but if you know that they are narcissistic, then you know that this is just their nature.
They want to leech off you however they can, and to do that they need access to you, so they will try whatever it takes to retain access to you.
Make sure that if you know you want to cut them off, you know that they will not change.
Don’t Warn Them
If you are planning to cut off a narcissist, whether it is silently leaving them, or verbal confrontation, do not let them know it is happening.
If you give them any indication that you are going to do something like this, they will be able to prepare a way to keep you, and this just makes it harder.
If you give them a chance to prepare, then there is a chance that you could stay connected, so make sure that you do not give them that chance.
If you live with them this is harder since you will usually need to pack your things and get important documents that you need, so make sure to be as careful as possible, and know when you will be able to do this without them knowing!
Build Your Support Network
One of the most important aspects of cutting off a narcissist is having a support network to build you up and keep you from letting them back in.
This network could be your friends or your family, or whoever you know will not sympathize with the narcissist who is plaguing you.
Let them know what you are planning if you trust them, and let them know what support you will need from them.
This will likely be a tough time in your life, so having people who are prepared to support you on standby is important.
Of course, you need to remember that your support network are people as well who need mutual support too, however, knowing when to ask for help is just as important too!
Don’t Engage And Argue
If you are cutting off the narcissist in a way that requires verbal confrontation or communication, make sure you have a plan.
Prepare what you need to say, and then say it, and do not give them a chance to argue back.
You might need to write down what you need to say, and you might need someone with you to support what you are saying and stop any violence.
You need to ensure that you do not fall for any of their tactics to overpower or diminish what you are saying, and just say what you need to and leave.
This can be difficult, but understanding what needs to be said is important!
Copy Important Documents
You want to ensure that you have all of the copies or originals of your important documents easily accessible, as well as any cash that they might have access to as well!
Summary
Hopefully this guide has given you some advice that you can put into practice to make leaving the narcissist in your life easier.
As we mentioned in the introduction, this process is not always going to be easy, however, when you know what you are doing, it will be more simple for you, as well as more effective!
Make sure that your support network is strong, trustworthy, and knows what you are doing so they can be there for you when you need them!
Good luck, because once it is done, you will be better off!