Were you expected to reply/respond immediately?

And do you still feel that?

This is something I've had to work on for years but it's an unending process. When your emotionally childish parents expect you to drop what you're doing and respond or cater to them "or else".

I remember getting beaten for not picking up a call immediately. (I picked up, just not immediately.)

Then there's the pressure of not responding in the "right" way. (Not enough words, enthusiasm , whatever.) The scam is that when you're dealing with narcs, they're miserable by nature and want to get mad anyway. Going into perfectionism mode isn't worth it bc you're not at fault at all.

Even though I've worked through a lot, I still can't get over this pressure that I need to drop what I'm doing and respond or attend to whoever contacted me. Like I'm always running out of time or need to be available always "or else".

I know that's not the case. No one is entitled to my time but your brain and body might not know that. It starts regressing to how you felt when your parents did it. You realize most people (as long as they're not entitled or crazy) will respect you enough to respond in your own time.

Has anyone experienced or worked through this?