Living sane with crazy

[frazzled1]

Hi all. I live on the very edge of sanity as I reside with a narcissistic, sociopathic, paranoid, schizophrenic. I never know what a day will hold and it is sometimes difficult to cope with especially when he tells me that it is I who has the mental issues. Anyway these are some coping strategies that I have come up with in the past 11 years of living with this man.

1. Choose your battles. Don't go about correcting and challenging every misperception or misspoken word. No one likes a know it all and no one likes being or feeling like they are wrong all the time.

2.Let it go. It doesn't matter if you know that you're right, if it's not important, let it go.

3. Ask for help. When it IS a matter of importance, a trusted 3rd party view will usually settle the dispute.

4. Keep a journal. It helps to organize your thoughts and it can serve as a reference to past events if they come into question.

5. Get councelling for yourself. You may be the sane one but you want to keep it that way. A professional can give you better tips on how to approach certain situations or you may prefer a support group. Either way getting yourself help is a good way to get the other person help.

6. Fight discouragement.Remember that what did not go wrong over night cannot be put right over night.

7. Call the police. If you fear for the physical safety of yourself or others than don't hesitate to involve the law.