Energy Vampires: Don't Let Them Suck The Life Out Of You!

If you are wondering what the heck an Energy Vampire is, I'm about to tell you. I just wanted to preface this post by saying that it came about because of a conversation that my cousin and I had last week, after I finished having breakfast with my sister (aka Bitter). If you haven't read my Breakfast With Bitter post yet, you might want to before you read this one because it will explain a lot.

So, exactly what is an Energy Vampire (EV for short)? Well, let me ask you this, how many of you know one too many whiners & complainers? I know a good handful of them, and you really only need to know one in your own life to understand that they are Energy Vampires. Why? Simply because they suck the life right out of you every single time you make contact with them. It doesn't matter if you're talking on the phone or face to face, the second an EV opens his or her mouth, you are done for. By the time your conversation is over, you are so completely drained of energy, you feel like you need to find the nearest bed and take a nice long nap. Seriously, EV's are utterly exhausting, and they will suck up your energy time & time again, until you make it crystal clear that you are not going to be a pity party participant.

What's scary is that EV's can be anyone --- a sister, brother, girlfriend, boyfriend, mother, father, neighbour, co-worker, you name it, which makes them hard to avoid. What's worse is that even if you're doing your very best to stay away from them, they have this uncanny ability of being able to hunt you down. So, not only do you have to be on guard, but you also need to make sure that you don't let EV's get the upper hand when they do get a hold of you. If you're quick, though, you can cut them off before they really sink their teeth into you.

For example, EV's are notorious for blaming (because heaven forbid they actually take responsibility for anything) other people, places, or things for their problems. So, as soon as you hear an EV lay blame, you better find a way out of the conversation -- and FAST! It doesn't matter what your excuse is, just put it out there & GO! You want to do this right away because if you show any sympathy, any slight notion that you actually care, an EV will only use it as leverage.

If you're really daring, and willing to risk an EV's wrath (because, trust me, it's going to be all your fault), you could always do what my cousin did and stand up for yourself. By that I mean letting it be known that you are not going to put up with their EV crap anymore. If you're lucky, this will solve your problem. Well, at least for a little while, anyway. Unfortunately, most EV's that you stand up to do resurface when they think that enough time has passed for you to have gotten over yourself (because, as you remember, they are never the reason why life is crap), and they feel confident that they can go back to telling you their 'woe is me' stories. In other words, they victimize you by playing the victim. How's that for irony?

Anyway... as I said at the beginning of this post, my cousin and I got into a big discussion about this last week and we came to the conclusion that it's just not right to let EV's take advantage of you, which is exactly what they do, if you let them. At some point, you need to say enough is enough. So, while you may never be entirely free of them, don't let Energy Vampires suck the life out of you!

JB