An Energy Vampire is something that I wasn't aware of until I started going through my divorce. Hind sight is always 20/20, right? It wasn't until I was doing research on self help, and trying to find constructive ways to deal with the enormous stress that I was going through that I ran across this term. Now that I am aware of it, or maybe because it's become a more popular term over the last few years, I find myself hearing it more and more. This still may be something that you are not familiar with, but find yourself dealing with.
In some instances you may be lucky enough to cut that person out of your life completely, but for those of us who have had kids with an energy vampire, it's not a total loss. There are still some things that you can do to limit the conversation so they don't bleed your dry of emotional energy and you find yourself in a position where you are sick.
".......What makes energy vampires so toxic is that they can be sources of chronic stress, says Northrup. Especially if the energy vampire is someone you can’t avoid — such as a spouse, a parent or a boss — constantly having your energy drained by that individual is a stressor, she says. “You’re constantly walking on eggshells around that person; waiting for the next shoe to drop.”
And that type of chronic stress is well known to have pretty deleterious effects on multiple systems in the body, including the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems......
The more research that I do , the more things hit home and the wider my eyes are opening to why dealing with certain people have been so soul draining and exhausting. It's a battle that, at least for now, I cannot cut out of my life completely (another 8 years and 6 months, but who's counting.) Energy Vampire and Covert Narcissism can certainly take a toll on their prey. Because the relationship is such a stressor it can lead to immune, cardiovascular issues and effect the nervous system. All of which is not good, especially if you want to be there for your Kids. How does one actually deal with this. It's hard. For me it's a constant battle. A struggle I live with every day. Some conversations I can negate, and I certainly try to limit my contact with the person. I tend to have my conversations via text or messenger rather than in person. The interesting thing being that I am not the only one having to deal with the unbalanced nature of the Energy Vampire, the rest of their family would be quick to tell you the same. There is some sort of twisted comfort in that, knowing it's not just directed at me, but Everyone. I have included the link below, good read if the concept is new to you as it was for me.
