When you stop showing up for life, life stops showing up for you. Narcissistic abuse has a way of making you feel like you don’t belong anywhere. Over time, you withdraw—not just from toxic people, but from everyone. Dr. Jonice Webb, psychologist and author of Running on Empty, explains that emotional neglect and manipulation can make you feel invisible. If no one is around to notice, skipping showers, wearing the same clothes for days, or letting your hair go unbrushed starts to feel normal. But the more you isolate, the deeper the cycle goes. Social withdrawal fuels self-neglect, and self-neglect fuels shame, making it even harder to reconnect with the world.
Getting out of isolation, even in small ways, matters. A five-minute walk, a quick video call, or even just changing into clean clothes can remind you that you deserve self-care. Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to socialize; it’s about proving to yourself that you’re still worth showing up for.
8. Loss of Sense of Time
When you’ve been through narcissistic abuse, time stops working the way it should. You might wake up thinking it’s Monday when it’s Thursday. Days, even weeks, blur together, and basic routines slip through the cracks. Hygiene becomes one of those things you mean to do but somehow just don’t. The worst part is that you might not even realize how much time has passed. You tell yourself you’ll shower later, but later turns into tomorrow, and tomorrow turns into next week.
According to Dr. Bruce Perry, co-author of What Happened to You?, trauma impacts the brain’s ability to process time, making even simple tasks feel distant and unimportant. The best way to break this cycle is through small, structured habits. Even setting a self-care alarm can remind you that you deserve care, no matter what your mind says.
9. Loss of Personal Boundaries
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