Can you think of times in your life when you’ve been around someone who made you feel worthless, dumb, unwanted, insulted, scared, or even sick? Often referred to as energy vampires, these are the types of people who only “take” from you and leave you emotionally drained.
They can be friends, coworkers, romantic partners, or even family. Recognizing these types of people is essential because being around them too much can affect your mental health, as they’re likely to drag you down with their negative vibes. Let’s take a look at six types of people who drain your energy so that you know what to look out for.
- The Self-Destructive
You can recognize these types of people by the amount of drama and instability in their lives. They are frequently caught up in negative thought patterns and engage in dangerous and harmful behaviours, often putting themselves and sometimes others at risk. It’s common to want to help this type of person. However, you can’t help someone if they’re unwilling or not ready to change. It’s OK to empathize with them, but if you’re constantly giving someone like this support, you’ll soon feel drained yourself. Encourage them to get professional help, and then do whatever you can to protect yourself.
- The Egotistical
These people usually focus on superficial things like how they look, financial success, and social status. They believe that the whole world revolves around them. Egotistical people tend to have an inflated sense of self-worth and entitlement, and they lack empathy.
This combination can make them come off as selfish and indifferent to other people’s feelings. They often use others to make themselves feel better, which can leave you feeling invisible and unfulfilled. Constantly being around someone who puts you down for their benefit can take a toll on your self-worth and drain your energy.
- The Gossiper
No matter your age, gossip can be draining. As a teenager or young adult, finding out everyone’s talking about you behind your back can feel like the end of the world. And as an adult, it can hurt your reputation and your ego.
It’s easy to get sucked in because it is juicy and entertaining, but participating makes you no better than the gossipers themselves. Sure, we all engage in it from time to time, but most people limit it or catch themselves so they can stop. After all, it’s an ugly habit.
They say that if a person talks badly about someone else behind their back, they’re likely to do the same to you, so it’s in your best interest to distance yourself from these people when possible. Be careful, though. Disengaging with a gossiper can be tricky because if you rub them the wrong way, you’re likely to become the target of their next gabfest.
- The Envious
It’s perfectly natural to feel some envy toward others if they have something we desire. But envious people demonstrate those feelings in unhealthy ways, such as belittling, backstabbing, and sabotaging. Like the self-destructive type, envious people are the way they are due to deeper issues like insecurity. They try to mask their feelings of inadequacy by acting like they’re superior to everyone else.
These people can be jealous of your success and minimize your accomplishments to make themselves feel better. If someone can’t celebrate your achievements and good fortune, then they’re likely not a real friend and are simply draining energy from you since they rarely give compliments or feel genuine happiness for other people.
- The Whiner
Typically, those who whine and complain all the time have a victim-mentality. These are the characters you see in cartoons who always seem to have a dark cloud over their head. Everything is a problem or inconvenience, and they make it well-known to whoever happens to be around at the time. While most people can generally tie the results to their behaviours, whiners and complainers are content to put their negative energy out there without introspecting to figure out what’s going on or how they can fix it. Everyone has their problems, so constantly hearing about someone else’s when they’re seemingly doing nothing to change it is a real drag.
- The Criticizer
They say you’re your own worst critic, but that doesn’t stop the criticizer from pointing out all your flaws and failures It’s one thing to give someone constructive feedback so that they can better themselves. It is quite another to point out a person’s weaknesses just to attack them. But these types of people seem to do just that. There’s no reason to subject yourself to unnecessary criticism, especially if it’s taking a toll on your self-esteem.
When dealing with energy-draining people, you have to prioritize your own well-being. It’s important to set firm boundaries to distance and protect yourself from them. Have you ever had to separate yourself from one of these types of people? If so, how did you do it? Share your experiences and advice in the comments below to help others who might be dealing with energy vampires right now.
credit: brainy dose
