Nowadays, staying friends with an ex isn’t such a taboo anymore.
It’s a scenario that is completely plausible to occur after a break-up and more and more people gravitate toward keeping their exes within arm’s reach.
The reasons for this are numerous.
Sometimes, you just can’t let go completely, so it’s easier having them in your life in any capacity.
And sometimes, you want to remain a part of their world to see how they’re doing post-break-up and who they are spending their time with.
Your reasons are probably totally harmless and with no ulterior motive, while his could very well be the complete opposite…
It has been widely reported that individuals who tend to cling to their ex-partners well after the break-up have narcissistic and psychopathic tendencies.
Narcissists and psychopaths can be spotted relatively easily by their inflated sense of self and their bombastically huge ego.
They are smooth talkers with little to no capacity to feel, mimicking their surroundings in order to fit in and find the prey they deem easiest to manipulate and break.
When in a relationship, they have this capacity to make you feel like a worthless piece of shit and make everything seem like it’s your fault.
They charm you, disarm you and win you, only to completely break you apart piece by piece, until all of your self-confidence and faith have withered away.
They need to be in a relationship in order for their ego to grow and to have something to feed off of.
You are their lifeline and they’re not just going to let go. Not by a mile.
If you’ve ever been involved with such a disturbing individual, you are probably finding yourself in this and wondering how the hell you let them play you for a fool.
Don’t. This is their specialty. This is what they do.
It’s more often than not done to complete perfection and until they’ve used you in all the ways they needed and fuelled their ego, no one’s the wiser.
But the most disturbing thing about this is their unwillingness to leave you alone even after you’ve found your way out.
Somehow, they always seem to cling to you from a safe distance, trying to weasel their way back in and pulling down your barriers one by one.
Narcissists and psychopaths are individuals who lack empathy, are selfish, egoistic, manipulative and of an extremely vindictive nature.
So whatever they do and however small they make you feel, know it’s never you.
If you feel like your ex or somebody close to you is a potential threat in this regard, run and advise anyone in connection to them to do the same.
When narcissists and psychopaths experience rejection they are incapable of dealing with it in a manner that is known to you, me and many others.
They immediately activate attack mode.
Their ego is hurt, their sense of pride is endangered and they will do anything to remain connected to you, since losing is not something they can tolerate.
When you treat them the way they treat you, they feel the need to retaliate and they go all in.
They cling to those who are empathetic, considerate and compassionate, because those are all traits they need in their everyday life in order to manipulate you into being whatever the hell they need from you.
And when you take that away from your narcissist, they’re not going to take it well.
When you face them with rejection, they’ll find a way to stick around.
They are going to play their cards right.
They will try and win you back but don’t be fooled.
It’s only for their selfish, egoistic reasons.
They need you solely to fill the void they are left with after your departure.
More often than not, they will want to keep you around for practical and sexual reasons.
If any of this sounds familiar, you may well have a narcissist or a psychopath on your hands.
If your ex seems to only need you in order to feel better about himself and to use you for reasons of sexual or a manipulative nature, take the hint and run as far away from him as you can.
They won’t stop until they’ve got their claws in you once again, therefore proving to themselves that they are the master of their expertise.
But you know better now. You must never let them go for round two.
Once you find your way out of your narcissist’s web, never look back and let their ego reach the ultimate low by ignoring them until the end of time and giving them a taste of their own medicine.
