Developing superpowers as a result of growing up with a toxic person
Have you ever thought about how someone’s toxicity has affected you?
I have. If you have too, you might’ve first realized all of the negative ways your life was impacted by someone else’s untreated issues, faulty perceptions, or negativity.
But what if you turned those around and gave them a positive spin?
This list was compiled from responses given in a support group for Scapegoat Adult Children of Narcissists. They were asked the question: What superpowers have you developed because you lived with a mentally ill, dysfunctional, or toxic person?
Here are some of the responses these incredible people provided. I hope this list gives you a new sense of personal power and helps you recognize more of what makes you awesome!
Claim your superpowers
- Dark sense of humor
- Able to sense toxic people
- Able to detect mental illness or something mentally wrong with a person.
- Able to read body language
- Able to sense danger
- Fierce independence
- Resourcefulness
- Resilience
- Psychoanalyze everyone
- Strong intuition
- Self-sufficiency
- Good at pretending to be asleep
- Self mothering/nurturing
- Anticipate multiple outcomes and is prepared for almost anything
- Comfortable being alone
- Able to tolerate high stress
- Know when something bad is going to happen
- Feel other peoples energy
- Feel calm in an emergency or crisis
- Able to figure out complicated things
- Nurturing
- Patient
- Able to read micro facial expressions
- Able to detect changes in people’s energy
- Can hone in on certain sounds: keys, footsteps, voices, car engines
- Move stealthily/silently
- Become invisible/unnoticeable
- Able to sneeze, cough and cry silently
- Good at keeping other’s secrets
- Empathic
- Remember every detail of events and conversations because of former gaslighting
- Great at dealing with angry people
- Ability to sense a con-artist
- Great at cleaning
- Great at anything to do with image: designing, decorating, clothing, accessorizing
- Great at detecting narcissists
- Able to hide emotions
- Able to detect untrustworthy people
- Able to lie well if needed
- Able to manipulate others if needed
- Very discerning
- Well organized
- Able to admit when wrong
- Resourceful
- Quick thinking
- Able to escape situations
- Able to see other’s perspectives
- Able to manage people
- Able to emotionally detach
- Able to tune people out
- Can switch emotions on and off
- Adapt to any surroundings
- Able to dissect a situation in seconds
- Able to diffuse arguments
- Good emotional control
- Cook well, able to make meals out of nothing
- Outspoken
- Great self-preservation skills
- Super observant
- Deep self-awareness
- Able to save money for unforeseen trouble
- Thrive under pressure
- See the red flags
- Problem solver
- PerfectionistIc
- Successfully sneaky when needed
- Bionic ears
- Diplomatic
- Get along with literally anyone
What superpowers do YOU have? If you send them to me at Diane@dianemetcalf.com, I’ll add them to this list. (anonymously of course!)
Tools for healing:
Conscious awareness: Be aware and make conscious choices before acting. Self-awareness releases us from making impulsive and potentially damaging decisions.
Understand the Abuse Cycle
Learn about letting go of what you can’t control, by using positive-detachment
Learn how expectations can be harmful
Learn how to set boundaries
Self-care: We can only choose to focus on and be responsible for ourselves, our own thoughts, actions, and behavior. We can change ourselves with patience, persistence, and practice. We can take responsibility for getting our needs met, instead of waiting for someone to change or meet our needs for us. We are in control of ourselves and no one is responsible for us but us.
Practice mindfulness
Learn about codependency and other maladaptive coping skills
Take the Adverse Childhood Experiences Quiz
Learn the signs of Narcissism Awareness Grief
More Resources You May Like:
Join the Free Email Survival Course:
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from the effects of hurtful or toxic relationships, dysfunctional thinkers, and Lemon Moms.
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About the Author
As a result of growing up in a dysfunctional home, and with the help of professional therapists and continued personal growth, author Diane Metcalf developed strong coping skills and healing strategies. She happily shares those with others who want to learn and grow.
Diane is an experienced advocate, speaker, and writer on family dysfunction and narcissism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Information Technology. She has worked in numerous human service fields, including domestic violence and partner abuse.
She has authored four transformational books about healing and moving forward, including the highly praised “Lemon Moms” series. This emotionally supportive collection explains maternal narcissistic traits and teaches how to reconcile past hurts to begin self-nurturing, healing, and moving forward.
The Lemon Moms series, as well as her other books and articles, are an aggregation of education, insight, and personal growth resulting from childhood experiences and her subsequent recovery work.
She writes about strategies for recovering and moving on from hurtful people and painful, dysfunctional, or toxic relationships on The Toolbox blog.
See what’s happening on her author’s site: DianeMetcalf.com
Learn about the Lemon Moms series: Lemon Moms
This website is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional therapy.
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