Guarding Against the Vampires in Your Life

Have you ever spent time with someone, only to find you were exhausted after they left? You may have encountered an emotional vampire. When we think about vampires, we picture the ones from the movies. Wearing a black cape, they are blood-drinking entities that only come out at night to find their prey. Biting the person in the neck and drinking their blood to reenergize themselves. But I am here to tell you that there are vampires walking the earth every day and they are in human form, so beware.

Much like the vampires of folklore, they act in very shady ways and do not concern themselves with how others feel, because they are more concerned about themselves. They feed on others physical and emotional energy to fill their inner void which happens to be a big hole that can never be filled. They target people that have poor boundaries, who are easy prey, and then invade your space, making you feel helpless.

So what can you do if you have an emotional vampire in your life? Maybe you continue with the relationship trying to set better limits to protect yourself, or it may be time to distant yourself, especially if the person is affecting your emotional or physical health.

You can also learn to be more aware, so that you are not taking on other people’s problems over and over. If you feel constantly drained by the same person, that may be a toxic relationship.

In the end you decide how you interact with others and how you respond. Strong boundaries go a long way at keeping the vampires away.