Beware of vampires. No not those vampires with the good looks, charisma and pointy teeth (thank you Robert Pattinson) i’m talking about those people who suck something else that is vital to you; energy.

How to define an energy vampire? Urban Dictionary defines Energy Vampire as “ A person who boosts his own energy by taking energy from others by means of an argument, belittlement, criticism or other one-sided conversation”. I like to think of them as those people who are emotionally draining and leave you feeling down.

We all have that person in our lives, maybe more than one. Perhaps all they do around you is whinge, complain with a pessimistic attitude. Perhaps the person is emotionally dependent on you; offloading all their problems to you and rely on you to solve them. Energy vampires take many forms. They are quite a negative force to be around and can have a detrimental effect on you and your wellbeing.

I once attended an interesting workshop and was listening to one of my business idols and he told us ‘show me what you’re reading and who you’re hanging around and i’ll show you where you’ll be in 5 years”. It’s a statement which resonated with me.

Have a think about the people in your life, what are they like? And most importantly how do they make you feel? Are they positive and leave you feeling energised?

I have seen first -hand the negative effect of energy vampires. Over the years there have been a few clients which stand out as the most effected by energy vampires. Their kind and caring natures were taken advantage off. I witnessed their stress levels increase and take its toll on their health. Stress manifests itself in many ways i.e increased blood pressure, weight gain/loss, loss of hair, acne, digestion problems, illness, fatigue, depression etc.

Some clients were able to cut the ties with their energy vampires whilst others were not. For some it was too late and it turned them into a negative person also.

Everyone’s situation is different, some people are tied to their energy vampires and can’t do much about it. They can however work on stress management and perhaps new ways of dealing with their vampires.

Personally I am becoming less tolerant of energy vampires, life is too short to waste being negative. I’ve noticed it’s something I am losing patience for. I will always be there for genuine problems and to be supportive, but if all I hear is negativity and pessimism I will either try my hardest to change your perspective or cut you off mid negative sentence.

How do you deal with energy vampires?

Positivity breeds positivity. 🙂

 

(The above image is courtesy of guardian.co.uk)

 

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