Number 1: Emotional numbness and exhaustion
You feel emotionally numb and exhausted, even after resting. There is a kind of tiredness that no amount of sleep fixes. You lie down, you rest, you cancel plans, but the exhaustion stays. That is because you’re not just tired; you’re depleted. When you have spent months or years with a narcissist, your body has been alive in survival mode. That means your sympathetic nervous system, the part of your body that deals with stress, has been working nonstop. It has been constantly scanning for danger, preparing you to respond, even when you were asleep. You weren’t truly resting; you were bracing.
Over time, this state burns out your adrenal glands, the tiny glands that sit on top of your kidneys and release stress hormones like cortisol. When they get overworked for too long, your whole system starts crashing: your mood, your energy, even your immune system. They all drop. You’re not just tired because life is busy; you’re tired because your body has been holding the line for too long. And now that it’s safe, or it’s at least safer, it is falling apart because it finally can.
Number 2: Brain Fog and Memory Issues
You feel foggy, forgetful, and unable to focus. And no, you’re not losing your mind. You’re not crazy. This one hits hard. You used to be sharp; you could think on your feet. Now, you reread the same line five times and still can’t remember what it said. You walk into a room and forget why. You blank out in the middle of conversations. This isn’t you getting older or losing your mind. It may not be ADHD. It’s not stupidity; it’s trauma. Here’s what is happening: when your body is constantly flooded with stress hormones like cortisol, it begins to shrink the parts of your brain responsible for memory and focus.
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