10/19/2025
When a narcissist has a little tantrum over you having the audacity to prioritize yourself over their nonsense, it's not because they're actually hurt.
Itâs never about your feelings, your needs, or the choices you make for your own well-being. Narcissists are incapable of processing genuine empathy in the way a healthy person does. They see the world only through the lens of what benefits them, what serves them, and what maintains their illusion of control. That âtantrumâ you witnessâthe cold shoulder, the dramatic accusations, the passive-aggressive digsâis not a reflection of anything you did wrong. It is a deliberate, instinctive reaction to losing access to something they consider theirs by right: your energy, your attention, your love, your validation.
What they are truly reacting to is the loss of supply. You, by setting boundaries, by standing up for yourself, by choosing your own life over their demands, have taken away the sustenance they feel entitled to. Their world, which is built on manipulation, control, and feeding their ego through others, suddenly feels threatened. And because they cannot process or accept that anyone could exist outside of their influence, they attempt to punish, guilt, or intimidate you back into compliance.
This is not personal. It is a pattern. Narcissists do not experience âhurtâ in the way humans understand it; their feelings revolve around power, control, and validation. When you refuse to participate in their game, they lash outânot because of your choices, but because the rules of the game have been taken from them. Every snide comment, every sigh, every dramatic show of anger is a reflection of their entitlement and insecurity, not a measure of your value.
You must remember: choosing yourself is not cruelty. Protecting your energy is not selfish. Walking away from manipulation is not betrayal. Each step you take toward your own autonomy and self-respect weakens their control and strengthens your own life. And yes, it may provoke storms from themâbut those storms are evidence that you are reclaiming what they thought they could always take.
Stand firm. Protect your boundaries. Prioritize your peace. The tantrum is theirs; your growth is yours. And in the end, it is your choice, your life, and your power that mattersânot the fragile ego of someone who has never truly cared.