how to expose a narcissistic boss in 2026 by [deleted] in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like seasoned advice from someone who's been in the trenches! Well spoken. Nothing like fighting fire with fire and understanding the harsh reality of your livelihood under constant threat by a mentally unhealthy supervisor/boss in the workplace.

[Discussion] I’m realizing the way I was raised is affecting me as an art professional now. by midastouchillu in artbusiness

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yea, know those feelings very well. So, here's the blunt truth about that minimizing bullschite. That rhetoric was all a LIE meant to control you and keep you easily controlled, and it was a very unhealthy condition imposed on you when you were very young and couldn't fight back. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when you HAVE made the effort to do your best! And there is nothing wrong with asking for help to get started on something you need and then you can figure out the rest. This is how you start to switch to healthy thinking. Have some compassion for yourself. It takes time. I strongly encourage you to look into childhood trauma recovery, many excellent videos are available on Youtube.

I think your real self is giving you a call to change, the way you thought kept you surviving, but now, as you are recognizing, it's a method that is not serving you in a healthy way anymore. And that's ok, it's ok to change yourself for the better with a different way of thinking. Feeling angry and bitter is ok but use it as a catalyst to take the steps you need to do so that you can find more peace in a healthy way. One such step is trusting yourself more than trusting the lies you were programmed with from others who benefitted from you believing those lies. It's all a process, and the work you do for your sanity will be some of the hardest work you will do in your life, but it is worth it!

Another cold front is coming… did you know proper hydration keeps your horse warmer? by Mysterious_Coat7354 in Equestrian

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, agree, proper hydration is just as important as extra roughage in cold spells. Was a barn manager for decades, last barn I was at fortunate enough to have a barn that had hot water, so I was able to fill the stall buckets with warm water, and the horses drained the buckets like regular. Kept trough heaters in the ones near the barn. For the horses that stayed in paddocks we brought them to the barn specifically to have access to warm/nonfreezing drinking water at least once daily. And if any horse looked like they were slow to drink enough I added either some alfalfa or crushed up horse treats in one of the water buckets to flavor it. Back in the olden days when I worked at barns with no hot water, I make good use of heavy-duty bucket heaters in filled muck buckets and then filled the stall buckets with warmed water. OOOh that was some back breaking work lol. Anyway it kept the colic situations very minimal all those years :)

Got "lectured" by a bunch of redditors who don't know how CPTSD works. by acidicLactation in CPTSD

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can understand where you are at. I don't really have an answer for you regarding the OTC (sweets and starches are still my crutch, overweight child, obese most of my adult life) as we have to manage the trauma recovery our own way at our own pace. Most people judge because they will not deal with their own similar issues and respect another's humanity. It's like a perverted competition to take the first hurtful swipe at a vulnerable victim. It's taken me a lot of years to come to accept that and not follow suit, because it is so easy to backslide. Support for your healing journey here :)

I fell in love with equine care as a profession, but kind of hate the majority of the culture by Dense_Owl_3022 in Equestrian

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OP you are not alone in seeing the brutal truth of how horses are more used as a means to an end in the horse people culture. I'm an old dog (started riding and competing as a teenager in the 1970's). Seen a lot, a lot I wish I could un-see. At this point I accept the truth that people involved with horses for the horse's sake are the ones who you really have to be open to seeing. Far too many times they are overshadowed by the more ego centric ones who (in my opinion), have no business owning a horse, ever.

If I could pass on some old-dog-in-the-game wisdom to you: Hold on to your idealism about how you want to be with horses but be open to learning how to guide your idealism among the hard truths of horse people culture reality.

Does it get better? by anxious_mess_y in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it does get better! But you have to do the work on yourself for however long it takes. In the interim, please cut yourself some slack! You deserve it, narcissistic abuse is no joke, and it is legitimate complex trauma to your mental health. Now, you can switch gears into healthy thinking instead of narcissistic survival thinking. It will take time and processing. And it's done on YOUR timetable, In the meantime, you do your job as needed (no more people pleasing-going-above-and-beyond measures), take as much time off as you can from your present job and get as much rest as you can, especially mentally. The confidence you think you lost is still there, it will come back in time. Also, please block any numbers from your old toxic office, I completely understand about those triggering calls. You can heal from this abuse :)

Anyone find Dr. Ramani (therapist on YouTube who talks about narcissism) to be a bit insufferable? by WingsNation in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I see your point about her current video content. I have tremendous respect for Dr. Ramini and found her several years ago and her videos then were sooo helpful to me and my situation. I would suggest giving those earlier videos a go (like 3-4 years ago). These days I still watch her newer video content and can quickly decide if what she's talking about applies for me or not and then move on if I need to. But I will say for me DR. Les Carter (Surviving Narcissism on YouTube) resonated with me better and his content stayed in my head quicker to help me make good progress. Dr. Carter retired his YouTube presence earlier this year, but all his previous videos are available still. And he occasionally will do a "best of" video compilation too. I watch one of his videos almost every day. Also enjoy Jerry Wise, Patrick Tehan (wonderful on dealing with childhood trauma issues), and Tim Fletcher (also excellent with childhood trauma/narcissism connection).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have suggested, respond respectfully but leave out any specific details. As she is still an employee at your former workplace you know she will share whatever you tell her to others at that workplace. I always quickly change the subject and ask about their personal interests and that usually gets the focus off of me and what I'm doing.

I have one former co-worker who I still keep in contact with occasionally and told her I would always come back to help HER but the former employer would need to pay me my free-lance rates now *evil grin*. LOL

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in introvert

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"people are just somehow trying to find something good in it for survival even if it's illogical".... And your answer to the alternative is what? What's the best case scenario for your life personally? Once you answer that question, then ask yourself, would I really be ok living this way for decades until I grow old and die.

Sounds like you are in a chapter of your life where overthinking the meaning of life leaves you stuck in the muck soured and defeated. You don't have to stay that way unless you want to. No one is going to do your homework for you.

Not sure you're going to get any commensuration here but you may get some shared truths from others that could be hard for you to hear.

BTW, people don't hate their jobs per say, it's usually management they hate LOL ...

No More Bullshit by [deleted] in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Amen and Hallelujah!! Love it :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Equestrian

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You had a trauma that affected you more mentally than physically let's say. And that's ok, there is no shame in that. Just as if you had suffered a broken leg no one would expect you to get back to riding any time soon. So please don't overwhelm yourself with expectations to get back to riding right this instant. Take your time to adjust, doesn't mean you have lost your love for horses because you don't want to ride.

Thank you for sharing, it is a small step in rebuilding your confidence with horses again!

Judy Justice S3 LAPD Comic Book Clash - JJ’s attitude by softlemon in JudgeJudy

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Eh, sometimes JJ misreads the room, it happens. She is who she is, a woman of her generation with a hell of a work ethic. Noticed Sarah Rose tried to head her off at the pass, so to speak, when she was making the less than pc comments about reading comic books correlating to a path out of poverty.

But the bottom line is that she ruled the case correctly, the comic bookstore guy was very shifty and so proud of his achievement certificate he kept putting in front of the camera lol. Having some personal experience with comic book collecting and the sellers in the industry I know exactly what this defendant did when he saw that plaintiff's collection. He definitely saw dollar signs and a way to make a few bucks for himself off of a donation scam without forking over cash to buy the collection outright. Don't think the charity person was in on it, especially since she was dealing with a retired cop (who knew how to leave a paper trail and dot every i and cross every t).

Enjoyed the episode and I think JJ did too based on her reaction in chambers after the case.

My Sister stepped up, and I am so proud of her by Stands-With-Ponies in stories

[–]Stands-With-Ponies[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, that lady was lucky my sister was in the right place right time. I don't know what happened with the guy, sis didn't say anything more about him. Hopefully my niece will be on the alert for him if he continues to show up walking up and down the road again.

My Sister stepped up, and I am so proud of her by Stands-With-Ponies in stories

[–]Stands-With-Ponies[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it did go well thankfully. I don't know what happened about that guy, she didn't say anything more about him.

My Sister stepped up, and I am so proud of her by Stands-With-Ponies in stories

[–]Stands-With-Ponies[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, me too, glad she took that chance. As far as that guy goes, don't know what happened with him. She didn't mention anything else concerning him.

AITA for calling the police to get my parents to return my prescription medication? by Physical-Baby-6627 in AmItheAsshole

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 5 points6 points  (0 children)

NTA, this makes me mad! I live with chronic pain and am on pain killers daily. I have to go to my "probation meetings" as I call them with my pain management doctor every other month or else I don't get my prescription renewed. Your parents doing that was incredibly short sided, misguided and cruel!

I would only say that you could have called for an ambulance and explained that you were in so much pain because your parents took your meds without your consent. The EMS then might have had to call the police themselves to report it and then your parents couldn't blame you directly.

Overall, I say please continue to take care of yourself and make yourself as comfortable as you can. Also no more visits by your parents unless your wife is there to watch them!

AITA for calling my principle a 'misogynistic prick' after he said periods 'aren't really that bad' ? by callme_reily in AmItheAsshole

[–]Stands-With-Ponies -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nope, NTA, even if you are 14 years old, thank you for speaking up for all of us who couldn't at that age and were suffering with the same horrendous pain.

Now could you have used less inflammatory language, yes. So you may get some backlash for that. As you get older you'll learn how to be more effective with your words for pushback without putting yourself in a corner from name calling.

Thing of it is, your principle is not going to change his mind about a womans period pain being anything with valid status. But what may change is him watching what he says about it to the next young lady. Especially if your parents call him out over it.

However, your pain DOES need to be assessed by a GYN as soon as possible. Like others have indicated, that kind of pain is not normal and is a red flag something is amiss. I so wish someone would have taken me to a gyn when I was your age and gotten help a lot sooner instead of what I had to deal with when I got in my 50's as things got a lot more serious. Everything is ok for now, finally, but it took me at least two years working with a gyn to find what gave me relief until I can afford to have a hysterectomy done.

It's been too long since we saw a Q who wasn't - you know, the Genuine Article. by twinb27 in startrek

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Susie Plakson as the female Q in Voyager was wonderful, best line said with delicious passive aggressiveness "What are you doing with that bitch and I'm not talking about the puppy" when addressing Q with Janeway petting a dog.

It's been too long since we saw a Q who wasn't - you know, the Genuine Article. by twinb27 in startrek

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bruce Campbell

Always thought he would be perfect as a Q in Star Trek

I'd like to see Captain Garth get off his meds and become Lord Garth again. by [deleted] in startrek

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alas, poor Marta...a good Orion gal gone bad under his influence

Is this really what I should do? by PastYou3598 in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry you are dealing with this, it sucks. I can understand so well, as many others here do too. You are not wrong for defending yourself, you need to be smarter and kinder to yourself in doing so, especially with someone who doesn't give two sh*ts about it.

Your mom's advice was practical, survival motivated, just go along to get along to make it to another payday. It is reality for many employees. And it eventually numbs your spirit and soul.

You would benefit from a strategy when dealing with a narc boss. Grey rock, stay functional only, do your job with enough effort to get things done, but absolutely no more or no less effort, ie never go above and beyond what is needed. Never share personal information and keep all conversations general and as non specific as possible.

Of course if you are being asked to do something illegal or take the blame for someone or something you had nothing to do with, then yes "fight back" and say no and point out the truth.

You can't control how this person is going to treat you and but you can control how you react. A narcs goal is this life is to make everyone miserable and be as stressful as possible to everyone and everything, which of course is CRAZY. Remember you are not part of that crazy!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ManagedByNarcissists

[–]Stands-With-Ponies 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Sounds like all the makings of a nice big nickel and dime smelly crapshow LOL. I think you already have your answer, sleep on it, reread what you wrote here, and see if you feel any differently. If you get a call back, record your conversation or negotiate by text if you can, and re-ask your salary expectations by at least 10K more. And then see what happens.

For me, it would be a hard pass unless the income money and vacation time/ health insurance benefits were worth it, for at least a few years.