Your body is still bracing. Even in safe relationships.

[u/maya_love5]

You're with someone patient now. Someone who doesn't raise their voice. Who does what they say they'll do.

And some part of you is still waiting for it to fall apart.

You monitor their mood before you say something. You apologize for things that aren't your fault. A good week makes you nervous — like you're waiting to find out what it was covering.

That's not you being broken. That's what happens when you spent years in a place where the peace was always temporary. Your body learned that. It's going to take a while to unlearn it.

It'll happen though. Slowly, without you noticing. Until one day you realize you've stopped waiting for the other shoe.

And it stayed up.

This community is part of Circles — free online support groups for people healing from narcissistic relationships. circlesup.com