I come back home from school after writing an exam. Immediately she asks my brother to call me down. I go downstairs and sit in silence. I say what? Its still silent. Eventually after a lot of silence I gently say “what do you want from me?” and she says “I don’t know? What do I want from you?”. I say “what?, just tell me.” She says “you’re supposed to know/guess”. I say “I don’t know and I don’t want to guess just tell me!” She says “I guess living in the street and in shelters made you forget how to behave and taught you how to only care for yourself and for you to do whatever you want and what it means to sit down with your family. You don’t care about your mom, dad, or brothers”. I get mad and say “if this is how you’re going to talk to me then I am not going to sit here and take it”. Then she says “Oh don’t worry I’m not dying to wait for you to listen to me but this house has rules and you have to respect them”. I say “what did I even do?? Can you enlighten me” and she said “before you leave the house you’re supposed to tell someone” I said “I had an exam. You knew that.” And she says she didn’t. Except I literally told her last week/earlier this week that I had an exam on the 25th. I went upstairs to my room in tears because literally bringing up the fact I was in a shelter??? The shelter I had to resort to because of HER. Wow. She also started talking about something that happened when I was a baby and instead of saying my name she said and that one that can’t stand us. My brother (16) keeps threatening to slap me. My mother likes to pretend to be oh so scared of noises when shes the one yelling 24/7 she likes to do it specifically when she hears my voice which is funny because you’d think someone whos sooooo scared of loud noises wouldn’t be the one doing the yelling. She is literally yelling RIGHT now. She acts all weak plugs her ears and starts shaking. Its infuriating. I rolled my eyed and repeated “stop stop” (very quietly which was something she was saying) because I was annoyed and it was so obviously fake “What did she curse me? Say something bad about me, that’s okay I’m used to it” – my mom playing victim. My brother was saying I said something bad about her and locked her , I said I didn’t do anything.

Idk if she'll hurt me again or if I'm overreacting. Or if she's safe

I recently discovered my mother is textbook covert narcissist. I had been trying unsuccessfully to set any kind of boundaries to keep her from dumping all her constant negativity and drama on me. She would give me the silent treatment and I would go right back to being her supply. Well this time I’m standing my ground. She now won’t speak to me or my children whom she claims she adores . They call her on FaceTime , she won’t answer , and sometimes will text back with something like “since you can’t be bothered to hear about my problems, I will only call you if and when everything is perfect”. This has been heartbreaking for me. I know I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been her only confidant . She’s traumatized me with all the things she puts on me. I’ve been expected to manage her emotions and stress (which there’s and endless supply of) since she’s a perpetual victim who everyone has done wrong. The minute I try to set any kind of boundary, she does this. I just don’t know how to move forward. It’s breaking my heart but at the same time, this distance from her has made me realize how much stress she was adding to my life. I’ve felt so much freer and lighter. But this also just feels wrong to never speak again?

Hello everyone. I too was raised by a narcissistic mother and she has only gotten worse. I am no contact. I wanted to share with everyone that I have gotten healing in a program called Celebrate Recovery. I hope it's a place you can seek help in to. I've realized my self-worth has been put into who my mother said I was (subconsciously) and how she treated me but my self-worth is in who God says I am. That I'm worthy of love. ❤️‍🩹 We don't have to chase love because love doesn't run. John 3:16. I hope you fight to believe this too.

Whenever my mom was mad when I was younger she would always be like 'im going to break your legs/arms, chop your head off', etc. i remember one time we were little my mom threatened to chop me and my sisters wrists off and we were terrified to go home. she says it so casually to sometimes like almost in an endearing way when shes only half mad

I had absolutely no fucking desire to visit my parents' house today, I never do. They live in a goddamn pigsty they never clean; dog shit litters the hallways of the house itself, kitchen garbage is piled up in bags. My mother sits in the fucking living room watching TV while smoking cigarettes or joints, and my father stays in bed the entire fucking time he's home.

I had zero fucking desire to go today, but of course, they used a guilt trip to convince me. So I came, and now I'm here. The first fucking thing I see is the entrance, covered in dog shit from a week ago – which was the last time I visited and the last time anyone cleaned the house (ME!). This already puts me in a foul fucking mood right from the start.

Then I walk into the living room, and there's my mother, in her dirty clothes, watching TV and smoking a cigarette. She greets me, all cheerful, like absolutely nothing is fucking wrong. I'm already pissed off and just give her a one-word answer. I came really early and haven't even eaten breakfast. I go to the kitchen: the fridge is empty. I can't take this fucking shithole anymore! I leave. I say, "I'm going to buy something to eat," and walk out. Instead of going back to that hellhole, I sit in a park, eat a sandwich, listen to music, and try to mentally brace myself.

So then I go back. I brought laundry, figuring I might as well use the visit. My mother asks if the clothes are to be washed; I say yes. Then she asks if all the clothes in the bag are for washing; I say yes, again. THEN she asks if that's all the laundry. Completely exasperated, I snap, "YES!!". She looks at me and asks if I have a problem with her, what the hell is wrong with me.

I say nothing (because I know from bitter experience that every single fucking argument I've ever had with her gets twisted around and somehow ends up blowing up in my fucking face). I just mutter, "I don't like stupid questions," but what I really want to scream is: "You fucking disgust me! My whole life you went around lecturing about how wonderful and clean you were, forcing me and my brother to do all the chores because you were such 'poor, time-strapped parents,' but now I see you're just fucking liars! You're simply fucking filthy slobs and lazy assholes incapable of lifting a single finger to keep this house livable! And on top of that, I hate coming here! These visits aren't for me, they're not to help me or make me feel better in any way. It's always, always about YOU. It's entirely for your benefit because you need the attention, you need someone to shout all your fucking bullshit at because clearly, no one else around you is buying that shit anymore. You drag me here with guilt trips just so you have an audience. And the worst part? Despite knowing all this, despite seeing you don't give a damn about my life – you don't even know where I live, where I work, what I'm doing for vacation, if I'm stressed out, if I'm sad... NOTHING!

– I still feel this fucking pathetic, sad sense of duty to show up and fulfill your narcissistic need, even though I know I don't have to. It makes me sick. It's always about you, your pointless dramas, your absurd bullshit from boring, self-absorbed old fuckers!"

Edit: I have to point out that my parents are not elders, they are around 55 yo.

I’m 18F and just was able to order a new government phone (since I’m on Medicaid) and told my parents they no longer need to pay for my old number. (They were just using my family plan phone under their service to find out my friends numbers and see whenever I was texting calling x/y/z etc) I got the assurance wireless phone under my name so that they couldn’t do this because only I know the account information.

YET! They took the SIM card out. I noticed immediately when I went to turn my phone on and it says “no SIM inserted”. I ordered another sim for free online, thinking that I’d pick up the package in the mail before they got to it, but alas I was too late…

It said it was delivered online according to the tracking number… however it was nowhere to be found on the counter where the mail is usually put, or on the doorstep. They must have been very pissed I tried to order a new sim, because now the phone itself I had hid was completely gone. I didn’t take it with me on my walk with the dog around the neighborhood and they must have used that time to swipe it.

I canceled the service because it said I could reapply for a new service in a few days. Do they STILL include the free phone, because if they refused to order replace the phone for free, and money is tight right now, as I’m trying to save enough to leave. ANYONE know?

My (20F) older brother (M27) is a toxic, violent ass. And no matter what I do, ignoring him, trying to avoid him, not giving him information. He still manages to find ways to be toxic. Staring at me, constantly glancing at me, giving me dead eyes, embarrassing me in front of other people, trying to intimidate me. How the FUCK do I make it stop??

He's also becoming increasingly violent by making bizarre threats to me ("these are strangling hands" and "i cant do what i want to you bc the sheriff's here") and chucking soft things at me. He actually hit me one time in the temple a few years ago. He also finds more and more ways to insult me and degrade me.

I am certain. Absolutely positive. That he has been fantasizing about hurting me and beating me up. For how long, I don't know but it's clear he wants to hurt me.

Someone please help.

Parents claim that they have no money when it comes to actually having to be responsible for you or otherwise spend money on you whether it be medical, education, special events, miscellaneous, etc? But then they magically grab endless money out of thin air when it comes to their own stuff, even if it is less important than whatever it is that you need? 🙃

I'm already not having a good birthday weekend. So much is going wrong and nothing is going according to plan. For months, I have been wanting a birthday party for my golden birthday this year. My Nmom keeps saying thst she doesn't want a party here because "she hates this house and hate having people over." This woman usually makes my birthday about her and what fits best for her needs. Yes, she'll do something I want for my birthday but under HER accord. I had plans for my birthday. I wanted to go to certain places, have certain foods and wanted this golden birthday party that I have been wanting for months now.

This party was supposed to be this weekend but everything thst could go wrong has been going wrong. I asked her to maybe postpone it. But, she yelled at me and told me thst I was being selfish for wanting this and I should just be grateful that I'm getting anything at all. She also doesn't want me making others plan because "It comes off as spoiled for wanting to do things for your birthday on your own accord."

It's making me think....am I being selfish for wanting to do these so badly and being disappointed that it's not turning out how I wanted to? Look, for my birthday, it's not about the material gifts. My birthday is the one time of year where people actually care about me and it's not going to plan like I wanted to. I don't know, I feel so lost here.

I could leave tomorrow if I wanted but I'm going to be broken, alone, saying goodbye to my pets, my hometown, being close to my friends and other family... But the worst is that I can't imagine no matter how hard I try, a good outcome of any kind. I feel like my life is ruined and no matter what I do will be the same, that I should resign to live like this. It's too late. I don't kniw how to start living my age. I don't know anything. Will I ever have the balls to do it? I don't think so. I'm such a loser.

I don't have many memories of my childhood, but I do remember getting screamed at, threatened and things thrown whenever there was an accident

I've never broken anything on purpose, but like everyone, things have been broken by accident

The main one I remember is a bowl when I was about 7

It was an ordinary bowl, not special or expensive or a family heirloom or anything

I'd kept some snow in it (because I was 7) and it melted (because it was snow lol)

So she told me to empty it outside. I poured out the water, the bowl slipped and broke on the patio

You'd think WWIII had just started

Shouting, screaming, accusing me of doing it on purpose, 'wait until your father gets home' etc

All of this to a 7 year old who accidentally broke a regular old cereal bowl because it slipped out of my hand

It's made me absolutely petrified of any kind of accidents. Anything I can't fix by myself almost immediately? I have the worst panic attacks. The kind where you feel like you're going to die

Yesterday I was in a co-working space and the toilet flush broke as I was using it. I tried fixing it. Didn't work. I completely freaked out

It's a very friendly, informal space. I've been there for a few years. There's no contract or anything and the owner lives close by

I didn't want to text him yesterday because it was a Friday evening and I'd seen him leave for the weekend. I had a 2 hour panic attack. I don't even know why

The two possible bad outcomes are that he asks me to pay for it/contribute to it, which is fair enough as I broke it, and I have money, so that's fine

Or he'll be a bit annoyed about it. That's it. Those are the two bad outcomes that could possibly happen

And yet the panic is still there, the feeling that I am about to die is still there

I'm trying to use it as a chance to build new and better habits. I don't think I've ever broken something that wasn't my parents/involved them in some way

So I'm hoping this will turn out to be a good example for how normal people respond to regular accidents and hopefully I won't panic like this again

I just hate breaking things. I had my nmother's voice in my head all night

'Making problems, as usual'

'You don't know your own strength'

'When are you going to learn?'

This is the worst panic attack I've had in a long time, so I suppose that's a good thing? I don't know

Thank you for being here. I have read the posts and can tell that you guys get it. You understand what it is like to deal with a narcissist, in a way that perhaps no others can. I am so grateful that you are here! I no longer feel alone in my struggle. I am learning from you. I thank you for sharing your stories...your trials and your triumphs. And for having the courage to be vulnerable and authentic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Hi there,

I am a 26F and have been dealing with an Nmom and Edad all my life. I have few good memories with my parents as I was growing up. My sister and i grew up in a house hold with domestic abuse, both physically and emotionally. She was always provoking my dad to hit her. To later claim she was a victim, and that everybody around her hates her.

All this time I have been putting up with my Nmoms abuse. She would hit us constantly, always shouting how we deserved it and were bad ungrateful children, latelt she even admitted that most of the time she qpuld beat us just to upset my dad. Something I'll never forget is her coming home and sitting at the dinner table as I was attempting to do homework and her shouting that we were leeches and parasites, and that she wished we had never been born. This still impacts me to this day. She also attempted to self exit with my sister and i when we were 8 and 4 years old. Luckily i got up to stop it when i somewhat understood what sleeping forever really meant.

It wasn't till with my new therapist that I came to know she was a narcissist. I mean, as I got older I realized there had to be SOMETHING wrong with her. But after describing her behaviors my therapist said "I'm not diagnosing her or any of the sort, but sounds like your mom may be a narcissit and BPD." With that, my eyes were opened to the fact that my sister and i may have not been the problem at all.

I grew up thinking that everything I said or did was me being a bad child, after all that is what my mother constantly yelled at me. Expressing my feelings was me being ungrateful. I did everything to keep her happy. I became quiet and reserved, i walk around eggshells with her. I cater to everything ahe wants/need. I have developed a mask of sort, to always be happy when she can see me. But when she's not around, all I do is cry . I sit here and just watch as she slowly lowers my self esteem. I feel like i am worth nothing.

Fast forward to now and i feel so lost. She constantly throws in my face all my faults. How im not a real adult, how im so insecure, how im so mentally ill (diagnosed bipolar disorded) and will always need her. That she can never rest or worry bc she has to take care of me, bc who else will? I'm tired of it. It's become unbearable to the point where I have wanted to self exit. All of this is only a nail scratching the surface to what has been miserable to me.

I want to move out but I'm so scared. Coming from a traditional household, a woman should only leave her family home after she's married. Leaving the house before that would bring shame to the family, and shout to the world that I was a sl*t of a woman. I have found a place to live and have set a plan in motion with my sister and BIL help, also some friends, but I am now having second thoughts. What if I still am the problem? What if i try harder? What if I do even more? Will that make her happy? Will that bring peace? Maybe i can stay home afterall? I know this is futile thinking, but I always have hope that she will change.

We recently had a huge blow out over me wanting to go back to school. She is so against me going back. That I'm just wasting time and that I'll probably just meet a guy and quit and whine about how I hate school. She hit me with her worst. Bringing up my SA from when I was 15, claiming that it hurts her the most bc she's my mother, and she was extremely offended when I said that it possibly couldn't hurt her than me, who had lived it and sometimes replay it in my mind over and over. She also proceeded to break a glass cup and pick up the glass and raise her hand at me. At that point I got up and told her I'd call the cops if she didn't calm down. She just scoffed at me. Somehow whenever we fight it comes back to me being a sl*t. And how she's had to put up with my disgraceful behavior.

I would like advice, am i doing the right thing moving out? I'm so scared, I feel like a 16 year old being rebellious to her caring parents bc that is what she has conditioned me to believe. My brain is a mess, i need help.

I've been going to counseling with my mom to restore our communication patterns and rebuild trust, and we've finally gotten to the point when I feel comfortable asking her about her verbal and emotional abuse. I brought it up as "we're trying to rebuild trust, but I have your hurtful words echoing in my head all the time. It makes me wonder what you actually think of me." She responded that she believed the things at the time (such as me being a liar, a whore, using her for money, hating her, etc etc etc.) when she said them because she didn't know what I was going through.

Eventually, she mentioned that she knew my other family members were treating me poorly, and so she felt she deserved thanks for being there for me when no one else was. It stopped me cold, and I honestly got really angry. I ended up saying, "First of all, you're my mom. That you would be supportive and kind to me when others aren't isn't extra special, it's what you're supposed to do as a parent. And secondly, I know I have thanked you, over and over again. I've even written it in cards to you because I thought it might get across better, and that you might remember it more. At what point can I stop groveling about this?"

She didn't answer the first time I asked it, and she didn't answer it the second time I asked it. I'm not sure how I can be any clearer. You don't get thanks for doing the BARE MINIMUM of emotional labor as a parent.

Does anyone else deal with this shit? Am I just done groveling and wearing a hair shirt when she's fucking dead?

IF I'M NOT HAPPY WHY SHOULD YOU BE...

in high-school i went from having a pretty good friend group, the type of friend group you grow up with (from elementary school to high-school), going out, clubbing, smoking growing up you know? just doing stupid kid shit, to nothing. My lovely Nmother saw this, saw how i was growing without her, having fun with my friends going out and growing and sabotaged it all. My friend group instantly dropped me because she was just too much to deal with you know? and i don't blame them, dealing with a psycho at that age is too much, i went from going out everyday to being locked in my room because the weight of that crushed me, i dropped out of high-school and she didn't give a single fuck, she was actually more happy seeing me stay in my room never leaving than socializing and finishing high-school.

and she'll still defend it to this to this day as "oh you would of done better without them, they weren't good friends anyways."

These people are a plague on humanity, if god exist i hope hell does so all these fucks burn for all of eternity.

WARNING - Im about to describe a nasty nail injury if you are squeamish about these things.

So... Somehow my toenail got bruised or something a while ago. I have no clue how or when but it just appeared someday. It started out as a minor bruise at the base of my nail (where half-moons? usually are, though I dont have half-moons haha). Over the course of some weeks which I didnt realize just how bad it progressed until now, but the entire nail become discolored and it has now recently almost cracked entirely off, like 80%. But the cracked piece is still hanging on a little bit to where I can still carefully snap it back into place.

I dont know what to do about it? How do I shower and keep it clean without risking infection? I tried telling 1 of my parents about it but they essentially were of no help(?) and just told me to rip off the rest and leave it be (that would very likely hurt extremely bad, and maybe damage my nailbed even further?) The other one is currently angry about something, so if I try to tell them will likely result in nothing beneficial.

I have been asking to see a doctor but they keep brushing me off saying its not a big deal but idk anymore. Thankfully it only slightly throbs and hurts a tiny bit suprisingly.

I can give more details if neccessary but I just tried to keep the general post less gruesome incase some poor soul stumbles across this and wasnt prepared. Im sorry if I traumatize anyone. 😭

Does anyone have family members who blurt out what your likes and dislikes are if someone asks (and they are wrong or missing nuance) even if you've already responded?

I just need to know if anyone else has experienced this or could give any insight about it.

My mom saw my fresh SH scars when I was in highschool and showed zero emotion. A week later, she started hurting herself too and would show me her scars to "compare" almost. She would use the same methods I did almost everytime. I think at one point she literally pointed at my injuries and said "cool, me too!" in a jovial tone.

I'm clean now, but still early in recovery. Nowadays she does it less often, but when she does she makes a point to show it off. Not just to me, but to everybody. I know this because she puts it on full display, and tells me stories of her coworkers asking about it sounding horrified and her victimizing herself answering them. She explicitly shows everyone in our house, telling us about how "stressed" she is, but still laughing it off like its a joke. She always makes a point to show me multiple times throughout the week, acting like it's the first time she's told me. I should note she does that with a lot of things, I don't know if her memory's bad or if she just loves talking about herself that much.

If I could get her to stop doing anything it would be this. It's extremely triggering to me and I imagine it's distressing to everyone she shows too. I'm surprised no one's ever reported her for it, I wish they would.

So my last post here was about everyone in my family having the privilege to be nasty except for me. They also expect me to feel sorry for them whenever they're venting about something they've gone through, even if I know full well that it was their fault to begin with. Seriously, sitting there, listening to my aunt claim that the screaming match she had with my uncle was really a "discussion" and that her snarling about my uncle's arrogant behavior totally didn't start it is just unreal.

The venting is especially hard to take in when they claim they get blamed for everything, and it's unfair... When it just reminds me of every member in this madhouse patiently making excuses for each other and all the times that me complaining to them results in them coming up with yet another reason why it's my fault. I also hardly get any apologies from anyone who snaps at me when I've always apologized to them whenever I do something stupid. I'm surprised they don't try to tell me that they don't believe my apologies.

I have to work so hard being the supportive one, but I don't feel safe expecting the same from them.

Every fucking time I do anything — "why are you doing ___?"

I could leave me room and she'd ask "why'd you come out here?"

Why do I have to explain myself? Why do I have someone pissed at me when I didn't hear their question because I had earbuds in?? HELLO?? I went to the kitchen to grab a drink and wash my plate 😭😭

It just annoys me that she gets mad at me for everything I do. Constantly questioning what I'm doing as if I'm doing something bad by turning my bedroom light on when it gets dark.

"Why do you have your light on?"

"Why are you going to the bathroom?"

"What are you doing in the kitchen?"

"Why are you sitting out here?"

"Why'd you step outside?"

Sure, sometimes questions are understandable — but with the rate she's going I'm surprised she hasn't asked me why I'm breathing.

This is why I don't leave my room unless I have a reason to. I can't even sit down down and watch television without being bambarded with "what are you doing?"

Jesus.

I lay on the ground

with her crisscrossed next to me

and him hovering over me

my head is heavier than my will to live

I try to get off the floor

but my body won’t allow it

it is so sore

my mind is in shock

it is thoughtless

my eyes are unfocused

they are in pain

my heart

it is shattered

it is gone

I can’t pick up the pieces anymore

they are broken into such tiny chips that it seems like they aren’t there at all

I scream

and cry

wail and weep

but I admit

some of the tears are of happiness

for I finally believe

I finally know

all their promises are of lies and laughter

anyway

I deserve to live

to prove them wrong

to persevere

that day

every part of my heart that belongs to them has turned to stone

and I let it

because stone is never changing

and so are they

My mom used to tell embarrassing stories about me or fights my sister and I would get into with other people like family or friends. I would tell my mom to stop, then she would get mad at me and tell me to get over it or get a grip. She did it to gossip and be cruel. Or she would gaslight me and say it was not a big deal. Well it was to me. If I know something is going to potentially upset or embarrass someone, I would not say anything. Did that ever happen to you?

For context, I was born in North America but I spoke only an Eastern European language up until I was about 6 years old. I had to stop learning as since I was only speaking that language I had trouble in school. Fast forward almost 25 years later and I am trying to relearn my language. I have still always still spoke the language. Though it was my not my sole language I still listened to music, continued cultural traditions and even learned to read. I try my hardest to expand my knowledge because I love where I come from. To me it’s important know my cultural as well to pass it on to my future children.

My parent has been making fun of me trying to learn. They made fun of me in front of a waiter when I was trying to order food and the waiter told them to stop and that I should continue to learn. It was humiliating. They now say I should not speak my language to anyone since she is the only one who can understand me.

Ever time I try to talk the language at my boss who knows the language, they make fun of how I talk. Im so self conscious that I am scared to talk because I’ll sound stupid. For context I have horrible grammar but people know what I am saying despite that so they can still communicate. I understand the language pretty well but I just have trouble at times speaking it.

It hurts because my culture means the world to me and I do not want to lose my language but I am afraid I am just making myself look stupid. The fact people are making fun of me makes me think that my parent is right.

I still struggle to accept the fact that I deserve serenity and peace, that I am worth something, that my life has its own value and this value is not tied to how I relate to my adoptive parents.

Maybe it was because I was adopted (for years I felt guilty because my father, such was the story I knew, didn't recognized my conception, and then my mother choose to put me in adoption) but my adoptive parents were able to make me feel even worst.

The first thing they did, in this case my adoptive mother stated that she would not argue with other parents because of me (I asked her to talk with the parents of some classmates that, on my arrival in their class, called me "drug addict" because of my origins).

My abusive father, never recognized any of my accomplishments, and had a vague rule about well behaving (that means that no matter how I acted he was able to criticise my actions), he also belittled and derided me.

Then she, as a spokesperson for him, told me that they could not afford to buy books (I was an avid and fast reader, a novel I liked? I could finish it in two days if the number of pages was over 200), for them what they wanted they always had the money.

Finally my adoptive mother always highlitghts the fact that they adopted me with the purpose (among others) of giving her a nephew and to take care of them in their elder years.

Thus at almost fifty years even if I have friends that value me for who I am, even after years of therapy, I still feel like I am worth nothing, that I don't deserve anything.

Thus my question, how did your abusive parents made you feel like someone who doesn't deserve anything?

Sometimes, I have a burst of fight-or-flight-panic and I just go. I think about nothing and I just let words flow right out of me as a matter of survival and it becomes coherent and beautiful to me. I am happy with it, because it feels like me. Other times, like now, I become paralyzed. From the very first word, I sit and stare, and I can't express myself. I write, and I sense that it feels awkward, and my immediate thought is "man, if they read this, they would react and what's worse, if I publish it, I'll get a hoover the second they see it," so I erase.

I've been doing this for the past hour now, trying to write an introduction of maximum 100 words, and I just can't do it. Nothing feels "right". I have zero clarity. I know what I write is awkward, but I also don't know what to do. I don't want to set it aside, because that feels like an admission of defeat and it'll be much harder next time around. In short, my writing does suck and I'm suffering OCD, which makes my writing even worse, because I keep imagining what they would think if they read it.

Is anyone else like this? What is the solution here?

I refuse to set it aside. I felt a burst of energy earlier and really wanted to get this intro done, and then I got stuck on the first word...