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Identifying Narcissistic Personality Disorder And Narcissistic Abuse

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
October 6, 2021

Highlights

  • Who is a Narcissist?
  • What is Narcissistic abuse?
  • How to identify Narcissist behaviour?
  • How to deal with Narcissistic abuse?
  • Full Read
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Infano brings to you 10 Days Of Mental Health in collaboration with The Logical Indian in lieu of World Mental Health Day on October 10. Let’s talk about what is Narcissistic Personality Disorder and its repercussions on mental health.

Narcissus was a mythological Greek hunter who as the legend goes, saw his reflection in the water and fell hopelessly in love, with himself. A person who is obsessed with himself and has a sense of superiority is called a Narcissist.

What is Narcissistic personality disorder ?

“Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a condition in which a person has an exaggerated sense of his/her own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration and troubled relationships with family and at work”, says Dr.  Anirudh Kala, a psychiatrist. “There is a striking lack of empathy for others because of which there is an inability to perceive the needs and feelings of others.”

What is Narcissistic abuse?

Narcissistic abuse is a form of emotional abuse inflicted by someone who suffers from narcissism. The dynamics of abuse are very complex to understand, and the damage such an experience causes can only be known when experienced first-hand.

People who see it on the surface level force you to move on even forget about what happened or let it go as if it was that easy. They even start blaming you covertly by saying things like, “you attracted the abuse because there are unhealing parts within you or allowed it to happen.”
Past traumas play a role in the relationships we choose, but that is not the only factor.

The dynamics are similar to the dynamics of being captured in jail if you were to understand the research-based psychological principles behind abuse dynamics. it doesn’t only affect us emotionally but on all levels.
The abuser gets to the core of your psyche and then controls you in insidious ways and that control changes your personality. They will minimize your suffering blame it on you for causing it in the first place.

How to identify Narcissistic behaviour?

A person with NPD may have the following traits:

  • Shows extreme confidence but has vulnerable self-esteem which to the slightest criticism and often leads to lashing out and vengeful behavior when wishes are not fulfilled. Has a very strong sense of entitlement which needs to be constantly fed with excessive admiration. Spends a lot of time in grooming and keeping the wardrobe updated.
  • Is preoccupied with fantasies about his/her success, power, brilliance, beauty, or handsomeness. 
  • Believes in self-superiority and associates only with people who are similarly placed because they are the only ones who will understand them.
  • Feels a need to outshine others in order to exaggerate self-achievements and talents.
  • Is manipulative, exploitative, and insists on having the best of everything — the best car, the corner office, and the best house out of the company pool, the best corporate jet.
  • Feels an innate need to be in control of things and situations. They want to be informed of their partner’s whereabouts, will check and keep a tab on their social media and correspondence, will criticize and control the aspects of their physical appearances, and will be the decision-maker on their behalf as if the partner’s say or opinion has nothing to do. 
  • Monopolizes conversations to the dismay of your friends and colleagues. They will want to head the conversation often bordering on their accomplishments and superiority and will offer unsolicited opinions.
  • Blames you when adversity strikes. Projection of blame is more like a self-defense mechanism they employ when they feel psychologically threatened. This can be frustrating and unfair as the partner gets accused of doing things that they aren’t actually doing. 
  • Lacks empathy or the ability to identify with or recognize the experiences and feelings of other people. They want everything to be about them and belong to them. They have zero respect for personal boundaries often mistreating, devaluing, and humiliating others with their speech and actions.  

How to deal with Narcissistic behaviour?

Marital disharmony is common between such partners because the other can feel overpowered by a sense to upkeep the NPD’s reputation and may feel their partner is their ‘energy stealer’. However, relationships can work if one is a highly passive person content to be in the shadow. The image of bravado actually masks a strongly risk-averse personality. 

Persons with NPD are more prone than others to develop depression and paranoid disorders. Identifying such personality streaks, therefore, becomes necessary. Asking a Narcissist to undergo therapy is easier said than done. One can instead lookout for support groups. Sometimes it may take some convincing because usually, they begin to think that a manipulative interaction between them and their partner is normal and that’s how generally relationships are. A strong support group can help the victim to break out of this assumption and help them realize the extent of manipulation by their partner and slowly break away from it.

If you or someone you know is in a manipulative relationship, it is best to seek help.

emotional abusenarcissistnarcissistic abuseNarcissistic personality disorder

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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Here Are Some Exercises For Women From Every Age Group

Written By: Infano
December 7, 2021 | 02:16 PM |
291

Highlights

  • The benefits of exercises for women go way beyond weight control or weight loss.
  • It is important to select a workout regime that you enjoy and one that fits into your time schedule.
  • Exercise is important at every stage of your life, but your needs do change as you grow older.
  • Workout guidelines for women in their twenties, thirties, forties and sixties.
  • Full Read
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We often tend to think of exercise as a tool for weight control or weight loss. But the benefits of exercises for women go way beyond that – from preventing osteoporosis, reducing menstrual symptoms to relieving stress and improving sleep, and improving mental health. A lifelong exercise program is the surest way to help you live and thrive into old age. To ensure that you stick to a long-term exercise plan, it is important to select a workout regime that you enjoy and one that fits into your time schedule. Exercise is important at every stage of your life, but your needs do change as you grow older.

The 20s Exercise Routine

Your body is most likely in its peak physical condition and is ready to tackle any challenge you throw its way. Your muscles will recover quickly—more so than they ever will in the years to come. So, this is the time to incorporate multiple forms of exercise in your routine – cardio, weight training, balancing workouts, and stretching.

exercises for women

It is recommended to do cardio at least three to five days a week. You could choose any form of cardio, be it running, swimming, cycling, or walking. This is the period of time where you can hope to find a form of cardio exercise that you enjoy—and can do properly and consistently, preferably for life. So, give a try to different types of cardio exercise so that you can decide what suits you and what you enjoy the most.

It is also recommended to do weight training at least two days a week, challenging all major muscle groups – back, chest, arms, core, shoulders, and legs. Weight training is not only important to improve body composition and build muscle, but also to increase bone density. Squats, deadlifts, standing presses, and other power lifting-type movements are workouts that you can add to your exercise routine.

The 30s Workout

Your body may no longer be at its peak, and you may start to notice that it now takes longer to recover from workouts. This is particularly an important time for women to start resistance training to offset any potential future complications from osteoporosis or arthritis. If not joining the gym, you can get some resistance bands and work with these at home.

exercises for women

Muscle mass and strength begin their steady decline once you turn 30 and —and that can be fixed by strength training. It is recommended to add a variety of functional lifts like presses, pulls, squats and deadlifts to your workout regime.

Cardio is recommended at least three times a week. This can be walking, jogging, cycling or yoga.

This is also a good time to invest in getting professional help or coaching for learning the right type of exercises for women. Getting your posture and techniques right when exercising and building it as a practice can be a big asset for you in the future years.

The 40s Workout

This is the time of your life when it is most important to have an exercise routine. Around this time, the muscles begin to lose mass and elasticity. This slows down your metabolism and makes it easier to gain weight. During this time women also start experiencing dropping hormone levels. This also makes it easier to gain weight, especially around the abdomen. This kind of weight increases your risk of developing health problems. These could include high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Exercise is the best way to fight all these changes.

exercises for women

If you are only doing cardio exercise—which is what many of us tend to do—it’s now high time to add strength training exercises to your routine. With age, bone density tends to decline, as does strength and muscle mass, so strength training exercises are really important at this stage.

It is recommended to do strength training exercises, working for all major muscle groups each time at least twice a week. Keep up with your cardio workouts, 3 to 5 times a week.

The 50s Workout

The process of bone and muscle development starts to slow down during this time. Considering this, it is important to continue resistance training, primarily for hips and shoulders. Studies show that resistance or strength training improves bone density and tends to slow down the aging process with the loss of lean body mass.

exercise for older women

In your 50s, you may start to experience more aches and pains on a daily basis. If you’ve been running through your last few decades, you might want to ease the wear and tear on your joints by shifting over to power walks, which can be just as effective.

It is recommended to try 30 minutes of cardio – even walking would do – at least five days a week. You can break up the 30 minutes into three 10-minute sessions if that’s easier on your joints.

During this time, you’ll also have to fight your body’s natural tendency to curve forward. Include exercise to strengthen your core by focusing on the muscles in your abdomen and your back. This will help your body stand up straighter and fight the curve.

The 60s+ Workout

This is the time when you can start focusing on preventing falls.  You should incorporate balance exercises that work with coordination in your fitness regime. This helps both men and women in this age range maintain independence, strength, cognitive awareness, and improve mobility. Simple balance exercises like standing on one foot, leg raises, and walking heel to toe is highly effective.

You should try to continue cardio exercises – 30 minutes, 5 times a week. These can include minimal-impact exercises like swimming, rowing, using the elliptical machine, spinning, and stationary core exercises.

Studies show that older women who engaged in strength and resistance training had fewer lesions in the white matter of their brains—a sign that their memory and other mental functions were holding up better. You can get a lot of benefits from lifting weights twice a week.

Keep in mind that your cardiovascular levels aren’t as high as before, so give yourself ample time for recovery between exercises or sets of exercise.

People without any health issues can follow these workout patterns without many problems. But if you have a health condition, it is advisable to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. Your doctor can help you decide what types and amounts of physical activity are best for you and what are the right kind of exercises for women depending on their age group, physical condition and activity levels. 

And at all times remember to listen to your body.

For more articles on women’s health, and fitness by Infano, click here.

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Infano

Infano is a platform that aims to impact every facet of a woman's life - health, career, motherhood, lifestyle, and much more. We are a team of like-minded individuals who wish to be a support to women from all walks of life and in everything they do. Our aim, through our posts and articles, is to bring to light the issues and problems that women face in their day-to-day life, to try and make their life a little easier and a little better, provide the latest news updates of women around the world, and to highlight their big and small achievements. We celebrate womanhood each and every day.

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