This portion of a longer comment from a post on narcissism really resonated with me.. the fear of being myself and being fully alive has always dogged me.. and when I got in trouble for trying to speak my truth lately I wondered why.. I am sharing this as it may resonate for you.. There are those who delight in taking us down a peg or two.. Know what I mean?
If you are naturally different, you’ll always attract narcissists because you’re shiny, and they are fascinated by that uniqueness, want to know it and own it, or destroy it if they can’t have it for themselves. So how do you protect yourself from them while also being free to be who you are and share yourself with those who will respect and value you as you are.
Narcissists can make us afraid of who we are, of letting ourselves shine, sometimes shining brighter and being brazen about it can also scare them away. The things which attract them also scare them… and their fear can be contagious, their fear of us can make us afraid of ourselves. It’s up to us to figure out how to live and be without being afraid of living and being.
Ursula, An Upturned Soul
Emerging From The Dark Night 