Strengthen your support team. Create strong relationships based on trust with higher-ups, peers and cross-team colleagues.
Be on guard. Limit your interactions to group settings if possible.
Trust your gut. If you think they are being manipulative, trust it. Walk away or call it out.
Stop the guilt trip. If they say, “You don’t care about all of the work I am doing for you.” You can say, “I do care, and it seems like you don’t appreciate how much I care”.
Verify what they say. Check their data, examples and evidence.
Keep a record. Document your conversations and save emails.
Appreciate yourself! If you have an interaction with this person or find they are entering your thoughts, take a break to appreciate yourself and reset on a positive note.