What is an Energy Vampire?

• Intruding on your life, ignoring boundaries and privacy (energy vampires don't think of you).
  
• Making big deals out of nothing. Energy vampires are often called "drama queens" because they can turn a broken nail into a Shakespearean tragedy.
  
• Complaining constantly about their partners, jobs, children, bad luck, and illnesses. Energy vampires like to vent.
  
• Criticizing your hair, appearance, job, children, partner, friends, and pets (energy vampires aren't positive).
  
• Not taking "no" for an answer. Energy vampires don't consider your needs.
  
• Being unrelentingly negative. Their negative energy is relentless, and energy vampires drain your positive energy by encouraging you to be negative, too.
  
• Blaming everyone else for their problems (energy vampires don't take responsibility).
  

You know you've spent time with an energy vampire when you leave feeling depressed, exhausted, or sad. Energy vampires drain your positive energy for their own use. Energy vampires leave you feeling empty and sluggish – and to compensate or build positive energy you may eat, drink, shop, or sleep for hours afterwards.

Energy vampires come in all shapes and sizes: loud and aggressive, soft-spoken and shy, charming and seductive, pushy and overbearing. Energy vampires have energy leaks that they need to fill. It's up to you to stop energy vampires from draining your positive energy! Often energy vampires don't even realize they're draining your positive energy.

Energy vampires have often suffered some sort of crisis, whether in childhood or adulthood, and they're compensating to get rid of their negative energy. Energy vampires may not be deliberately, maliciously stealing your positive energy -- but they're definitely not contributing to a fantastic relationship.

11 Ways to Protect Yourself From Energy Vampires

1. Limit the amount of time you spend with energy vampires. The less time you're together, the less positive energy you'll lose.
   
2. Learn effective ways to end conversations with energy vampires (eg, I only have ten minutes to talk.")
   
3. Stay calm and detached from energy vampires. Don't let their negative energy consume you.
   
4. Be honest about your needs (eg, "I need this time to work/read/relax/exercise.")
   
5. Refrain from attempting to rescue them or fix an energy vampire's problems.
   
6. Practice walking away from energy vampires.; the more you do it, the easier it gets.
   
7. Limit eye contact with energy vampires.
   
8. Avoid being in close spaces with energy vampires (elevators, cars, etc). Negative energy is catching.
   
9. Define and guard your personal space from energy vampires.
   
10. Tell energy vampires you feel uncomfortable discussing particular people or circumstances.
    
11. Stand up for yourself and your boundaries! Your time, positive energy, and resources are precious and should be closely guarded from energy vampires.
    

[source - http://l-pawlik-kien...vampires-a14286 ]

I've known that being around negative people can directly affect you for some time. It's the same principle that smiles and laughs are contagious. I never really understood, though, the reasons behind it. Most EV's aren't aware of their impact on other people. It can be a by-product of their upbringing, a need for more attention or even a way to reach out subconsciously. This has been on my mind a lot lately, and I'm starting to believe it's why I've slowly been dropping out of social interactions on things such as Twitter and XBL.

When I left the Bay Area and moved to the woods, there was an instant change in my thoughts and feelings. With the internet, though, it's like living in the city again. Some interactions (especially with people I barely know on social networks) really take it out of me and end up making me upset with them, or just not wanting to ever talk to them again. While I think the internet is great and can be beneficial for many, especially for those that don't or can't get out and socialize... I also think it's the prime feeding ground for EV's.

One very important note here: This article and my words aren't directed at anyone on Gamercide. Just wanted my online family to be aware of the negative impact EV's can have on them. Not telling you to be a happy go lucky hippie or anything. Just please be aware of EV's you may be enabling without even knowing you were.

I've got some of these people in my personal life. It gets to where you dread talking to them. And its hard when some of them are FAMILY. But it truely does seep in.

Speaking of social networking, it drives me insane, when nearly EVERY post from these certain people are riddled with crap, that one- you don't wanna know anyways, and two- why the HELL are you posting that crap on facebook?!

One person posts stuff that is certainly not even remotely funny, and adds an LOL after it. Shane pointed out to him, "Dude, why are you posting crap like that, and you do realize that what you just posted can be used against you in court?" (literally!!!)

I am actually dumbfounded by what ppl post on facebook period! But thats another rant lol.

Good post PK!!

I've 'muted' a handful of people on Twitter already. Mostly the people who's tweets are riddled with "FML! x happened today and I'm so upset". When in actuality, it's them saying "Make me feel better about myself".

Communication, especially instant communication, should be a great thing. I find it not always is, though, with social networking. It just becomes a huge negative pool for all these people to drop their shit into.

I agree. I just don't understand why they think thats the way to get what they need.

I thought this thread was going to be about electronics that don't fully shutdown and drain energy when not unplugged lol. The more you know.

But yeah, that's a good article, makes some good points. No one irl cares about all your little problems, unless there's something actually wrong that they can help you with. But usually it's just little things that can be changed by having a more positive outlook. Everyone's so easily offended and dramatic these days. We have SUCH big problems in our first-world country, where we have food and water readily available.

I'm going to bookmark this thread so I may read it later. Consider it participation, though.

I don't let most of these types get to me. The less I know a person the less their negative energy gets to me. However there are several friends in my life that have this attitude. Most don't realize what thy are doing, and it makes it even harder to distance yourself from them.

I do believe that some need the support. We can usually tell but the flip side is you run the risk of turning away a person that truly needs it.

I find when it comes to close friends and even acquaintances its a fine line to walk. We have to be able to keep our spirits up without being drug into the mud. However, believe me when I say pushing someone away or distancing yourself from them and watching them crumble can be as much of a drain on your positive energy as anything.

I'm ranting. I guess the point is I fully agree with the article, but it's necessary to emphasise that some don't notice the wrong. And those same people deserve the chance to correct their bad friendship.

Some also don't notice that they're enabling that behavior in that needy person. They're just trying to be a good friend, and it ends up doing no one any good. Soon enough, they're all wrapped up in that other person's crap and you have two or more people feeling negative.

Being able to distinguish someone in need of help should be pretty easy. The person that needs the help, doesn't look for it daily or weekly, they're not always negative and they don't particularly need attenton all the time.

Been there, done that, wore the vamp t-shirt for a while, on and off. Didn't like it. Started to smell. Started to burn like acid on my skin. So I took it off. Better believe I'm still removing the bits of cloth left to my burnt skin.

I recently told one of them to gtfo of my house, and it worked. Unfortunately this particular energy vampire also goes by the title "father in law"...

*Pogre kills thread...?

Very interesting. As Rose said.... I have seen this a lot on Facebook. Sometimes I am a victim of venting when I really don't need to also...

Sky, normal people vent. EV's do it on a daily level, in hopes of attracting attention.

I hate you all.