Narcissists are nothing but balloons

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popping_balloon
Stick a fork pin in it. It’s done.

This great analogy came up in a Facebook conversation. The analogy isn’t mine, but from another survivor of narcissistic abuse, a woman named Mary Pranzatelli, who asked me to use her name. Mary says:

You just know at the core of that [narcissistic] man/woman is an inner child. And you feel like there is hope that you can pop the balloon that has suffocated this child. A narc reminds me of a balloon. You keep blowing air in his/her balloon. Eventually you become exhausted from blowing into this balloon. The air slowly seeps out… And the Narc needs a new source to blow him up again.

Blowing air in the balloon…is supply. When a Narcissist gets bored or has a Narcissistic injury the balloon deflates…and the person that fails to blow air into the balloon consistently, becomes devalued and discarded. You can only blow up a balloon for so long…

Narcissists are just balloons filled with hot air, and as survivors, we can visualize popping them or letting the air out. It’s a funny exercise, but could help because thinking of them as balloons can make them seem less threatening.

Remember too, narcissists, like balloons, are extremely fragile. They need a constant supply of air from an outside source to float. Otherwise, they are just a limp piece of thin rubber.

13 thoughts on “Narcissists are nothing but balloons”

  2. When I saw the title to this article I had to laugh. Balloons.

    I sometimes like to think that narcissists are not too threatening. It is helpful because one sits next to me in my bible study, and its like I can hear that she is starved for supply. I used to be an easy source of supply for them, and I think she knows that and she is trying to find a way to get it from me. I’m finding them rather easy to manipulate and I can let her come close then I get grrr right up in her face. I know bad of me.

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      • The analogy of Balloons and Narcissists just popped in my head last night, while Lucky otter and I were writing on Sam Vankins facebook page. I just started laughing at the thought, and I had this vision of a vision of a group of Narcissist abuse survivors standing in a support group circle blowing this balloons up and then letting go of them and watching them fly all over the place as they let the air out of there balloons. When I saw lucky otter’s illustration with the pin..I laughed even more hysterically. just put a pin in it. And you can hear the Narcissist say…im done…im done…im done…
        Lol

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        • It actually helped me today. My mother liked something I put on FB and I was like, “oh shit.” I don’t want to unfriend her but thinking of her as a balloon made me laugh and made me less fearful.

          I wasn’t using FB for a long time because my whole family’s on there and I’m sure they all read my profile. I really don’t even care anymore; I know they’ve all seen my blog. Whatever. I haven’t heard anything about it one way or the other, which is what I expected anyway. I also use Lauren Bennett as a pseudonym. You can use that here. I’m thinking about legally changing at least my last name anyway.

          I did edit your post to take my real name out–I don’t go by my real name on my blog, although it probably makes no difference at this point. I hope that’s ok with you. Thanks for commenting! You are hilarious. 😀

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    • Dear Joan, used to work with a narc – who had it ssso together, so i thought. Then one day, i was writing a rough draft of a poem, copied it over, tore up thd draft and pitchdd it in the trash, then went to the rest-room. When i came back, another co-worker told me to be careful what i throwaway. The narc took those ten pieces of torn paper and pieced them together. Talk about a wtf moment! From then on, i took the narc so less seriously. The Lord has gifted me with things, but poetry ain’t one of those gifts. That narc revealed her desperation – period.

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  3. This reminds me of the grumpy old man I live with. When we first met, he was good to me. He’s terminally ill, and as he got sicker, could do less, and felt worse about himself he started being a bully. It got worse and worse until one day I said, “just because you’re dying that doesn’t mean I can’t leave you”. Pop! I know from experience that one sentence isn’t enough to change most people, but in this case it was the wake-up call we both needed. He’s tried to bully me a few times since, but I stopped him in his tracks. And, very important point… I wasn’t bluffing. I’ll leave if I have to.

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    • First of all I am so sorry the man you live with is terminallly ill. 😦 Is it your boyfriend, husband or just a friend, if you don’t mind my asking.
      Is he N, or is this behavior just brought on by his illness. Since he was quick to change once you read him the riot act, it sounds like it’s his illness making him so grumpy and hard to deal with.
      Whatever it is, that’s great you could get him to stop abusing and bullying you. Some people just need a wake up call.

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      • He’s my boyfriend, if you can use that term on someone his age! It’s hard for me to comment on how he was before, because he was already sick when we met, but I know his behavior was definitely changed by his illness, disability and pain. I would imagine that brings out the worst in a lot of people. And I probably could have turned it around much sooner, if I hadn’t had almost 50 years practice being a doormat! We former victims really have to keep our heads up, or we’ll accidentally put up with abuse from all quarters. These days Grumpy and I live in relative peace. He’s learned that it’s not in his best interest to point his anger at his best friend and supporter, and I’ve learned to defend that boundary at the first sign of trouble.

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      • He’s my boyfriend, if you can use that term on someone his age! It’s hard for me to comment on how he was before, because he was already sick when we met, but I know his behavior was definitely changed by his illness, disability and pain. I would imagine that brings out the worst in a lot of people. And I probably could have turned it around much sooner, if I hadn’t had almost 50 years practice being a doormat! We former victims really have to keep our heads up, or we’ll accidentally put up with abuse from all quarters. These days Grumpy and I live in relative peace. He trusts t

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        • Dear luckotter,
          I’m ok with you editing any of my stuff. Intuitively, I actually trust you. I often make typo errors. Please do correct that if you see a word or gramatic error in anything I write. I’m sensitive to my own gramatic errors. I feel ouched when I see them in my writing after I hit the post it button. Lol
          I’m sure many people see these posts…but its ok with me….

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