Dear Kathryn Ann,
Please do not put yourself through this! You do not have to put up with this sort of rude and narcissistic behavior! To talk without pause AT someone, not having a conversation but a sort of verbal diarrhea all over the person listening, is SO RUDE. I think people who scowl at any sort of response, even if it's an empathetic "mmmm" or whatever, to me speaks of self-centered people who misinterpret NORMAL communication. Or they are so narcissistic that they get angry when their targets actually act human.
That suggestion to make a cardboard cut-out of yourself? Not bad. That is the way narcissists see others anyway, so you could easily substitute the cut-out for yourself and just walk away. Well, not really, narcissists need constant supply so eventually they would get tired of no response and cut the board into ribbons...
Boundaries. A foundational book.
Boundaries: When to Say YES, When to Say NO, To Take Control of Your Life
Re: Friends with conversational quirks-Help!???
I am so glad to see I'm not alone in this. Oh, and I love your idea about asking them to email their thoughts, which actually doesn't have to be rude at all, but might send the message very clearly!
If that doesn't gently send the message, what would? I realize it's important to be friendly and listen when people are hurting, and hope people realize I'm not talking about genuine listening to people in times of trouble.
It was so awful a few days ago during one of these encounters that I was ill the next day.
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