There are two things you can do, both quite effective and together represent a way out of the narcissist's firing line.
Firstly, you must not give the narcissist space. The narcissist is always trying to work themselves into your personal space, by encroaching past your personal boundaries, trying to get your energy hooked onto their vicious pull. Resist the natural urge of trying to go with the flow of whatever current they are trying to create for you, as the current always leads to a dangerous precipice.
Secondly, learn to shut down your emotions and feelings when around certain people. You don't necessarily need to shut them down completely, but let's say 80–90%. If you don't wear your heart on your sleeve, if you are not easy to read and pry open, the narcissist struggles to get a foothold onto your emotions.
Of course going no contact is good, but it is not always possible. Therefore, boundaries, protecting your personal space, and shutting down your emotions, are the way to go.
The narcissist will bugger off in the pursuit of a more appealing target.
You just won't be very fun or interesting to them.
Check out my YouTube channel, where I talk about narcissism -
