I’ll be honest, nobody with half a conscience wants to sign up for any game with a narcissist.
They’re risky, sometimes outright dangerous, and they never want anybody other than them to win.
So what’s the point in playing?
Well, just because they always want to win, doesn’t mean they will.
Tactics in this glorious world will help you beat them at the game they’re trying to play with you.
So if you’re ready…
…It’s your turn to roll the dice.
Tactics Are Needed
It’s not pleasant to have to think about tactics, after all, we’re adults.
The only games I like to play are when we dust off the Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit at Christmas. Blackjack at a push.
But to beat the narcissist, you have to learn the game, and beat them at it.
And I hate to deliver such honesty, but it’s the only way you can hold on to a shred of dignity and empowerment. I want that for you, and I know deep down you want that for yourself, too.
To the victim, narcissism is no joke.
Sadly, It Is a Game
To them, everything is met with a subtle smirk and a full night’s sleep. I hate that about narcissists. How they go to bed every night, dust off the shit from their day, and sleep so soundly.
They love the damage they cause, and thrive off the drama it all creates.
To them, you’re a pawn on a chessboard.
They don’t care about your feelings – but they will care once you start outsmarting them.
16 Smart Tactics To Beat The Narcissist!
Let’s look at all the ways – one by one – you can beat the narcissist.
#1 Limit Your Contact
If they think they will get to you, you only have to pull back on your contact. Stick to that forced phone call when you have to, rather than feel obliged to do it every day.
If you work with one, email them instead of knocking on their office door.
How can they get any supply from you if you’re not there to hand it over?
#2 Cut It Altogether!
It drives a narcissist crazy when you cut contact. How could you?
Now what will they do? It’s a terrible time for them, and they become so panicked when you’re not there anymore.
Once you were the main person they could manipulate, and now you’re nothing but a mere memory.
#3 Tell Them Very Little
The less they know, the better. If they know everything about you and what you’re up to, they will use that information against you.
So – give them nothing.
Starve them.
They don’t deserve to eat at your table of success.
#4 Set Boundaries – Walls Of Protection
Narcissists love it when you bow down to their orders.
They make demands of you, and they know you’ll hold back on all your own values to give them what they want.
Sometimes this can be for an easy life, and other times it can be more about fear of repercussion.
Outsmarting them can be taking them by surprise and affirming your boundaries. They will try to encroach on them, but you know better now.
Keep. Your. Boundaries. Up.
#5 Seeing As They Won’t – Take Care Of Yourself
Wearing you down like you’re a pair of old slippers, then tossing you to the side when you are no longer fit for purpose.
Sound familiar?
That’s what narcissists want, and that’s what they do.
In turn, guess what happens to your well being? It slips and disappears.
Take it back. Take back what you’re owed, and more.
You must be your own priority.
#6 Get Support
If you need it, support is widely available. If that looks like insisting on seeing a friend or relative for a catch up, then do it. If it looks like calling a helpline, do that.
If you need somebody to tell you that you’re not yourself, or that what you’re experiencing isn’t normal or healthy – it’s what you must seek out in order to outsmart the narcissist’s game.
#7 Don’t Fall For The Luring
They love it, don’t they? Pulling you in just when you think they’ve got rid of you for good.
Maximize your empowerment by letting them let you go, and refusing to fall for the bait when they toss it your way.
You’ve learned the hard way, and now so must the narcissist.
#8 Give Them Praise
Talk about throwing them an absolute brick in their path!
Narcissists love praise. If you want to do something, or go somewhere, use it to your advantage!
Do exactly what they do, and butter them up. Pay them a compliment. Buy them a takeaway.
Tell them they’re wonderful. It will need to be done slowly, not too much or they will suspect.
Then go for it.
You’d be surprised how often they fall for it.
#9 Respond With Response
I know that might sound weird, but you have a choice in how you respond to the narcissist.
They want you to keep feeling like you’re losing your mind. They want to see you shout and scream, even cry.
These are choices, and you don’t have to do any of them. In fact, if you just respond as mildly and as flatly as possible, the narcissist isn’t going to get what they need from you.
Their ego lives because you supply it. Without your supply – their ego falters.
#10 Stand Firm
The narcissist is used to you wobbling on your feet, unsure, anxious, depressed, confused…
…No more.
Now you get to take a stronger stance, and you get to stand firm.
It will be unsettling for the narcissist, who is used to seeing you crumble, but it’s a very smart move to make you want to gain control back.
#11 Don’t Let Them See You’re Bothered
That’s what they’re craving! If you’re bothered, you’re being controlled. If you refuse to allow any stress to reach you, then they will soon figure out that they can’t get to you any more. Sure, they can try.
But they will fail.
#12 Privatize Your Social Media
You don’t want the narcissist knowing everything about you?
Tighten up your social media profiles! Block where you can, make them private – and the thing most people forget – delete the moles!
If there is a risk that information will get back to the narcissist, find the culprit, and get rid of them.
#13 Keep Your Goals Quiet
Narcissists love to dig. If they could, they’d walk around with a shovel!
They want to know everything. When things are going right for you (so they can ruin it), and when things are going wrong (so they can feel good, and make it worse somehow).
Keep what you’re doing quiet, and win without making a noise.
#14 Make Space For The “After”
When all is said and done, and with any luck, you won’t always be needing to outsmart the same narcissist.
Make space for the fragments of peace between the chaos of having them close by.
That space is your sacred time for healing and applying even more focus to yourself.
The more love you give yourself, the more you will glow and thrive.
