Have you ever dreaded talking to someone? It feels like your energy is being sucked out of you alive whenever you focus on them. The individual who drains you emotionally and leaves you feeling depleted is referred to as an energy vampire. In the setting where you are at work, energy vampires could be a coworker or your employer. You can experience agitation, anxiety, uneasiness, and even self-doubt while you are among them.
First, Let’s Get To Know These 5 Vampires
There are 5 types of them. One of the ways to avoid being in a toxic working environment is by allowing yourself to get to know the things that bring you down: the energy vampires at work.
1. The Sob Sister
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We call this person a sob sister, but it does not mean that this only applies to girls. This type of vampire whines for life. They just love the attention and validation they get from complaining. Rather than working on a solution, they find sobbing about the issues as a more interesting approach.
In order to stop the sobs, there are a few things you can try on these sisters. Firstly, you need to set clear boundaries between you and them. If the situation needs you to remove yourself from it quickly, firmly say ‘no’, and do it with a smile. For instance, with a coworker, you may continue with, “May everything go well for you in the end. Thank you for understanding that I have something to attend to and must get back on it,”.
2. The Chatterbox
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These vampires are only thinking about themselves, and they do not care about how you feel. He may seem interesting at first, but once he starts talking, you start to become drained of him. They also may approach you so closely that it feels like they are breathing on you. Even if you slowly distance yourself, he moves closer to you to keep the conversation going.
Be aware that these folks are not attentive to nonverbal clues. You have to interrupt and speak up. Spend a few minutes listening. Then, say, “I would like to add to the discussion too,” in a non-provocative manner. “If you could let me help, it would be fantastic,”. Definitely a better alternative than directly asking them when they are going to stop talking.
3. The Blamer
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This vampire has a sly skill of making you feel inferior or guilty for not doing things perfectly. They sap away your energy daily. They always find their way to make comments about your work, and when they do have something to say, they are mostly negative. Usually, you will find these vampires among your superiors.
Now, you can’t talk back to them. What you can do is imagine yourself in a bubble of white light when you are around this person. Consider it a shield that prevents harm from coming to you. Remind yourself that this place is safe and secure. To prevent the negativity from draining you, the bubble blocks it out so you would not feel deeply affected by their words.
4. The ‘Go For The Jugular’
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These kinds of vampires are the most handful. They are spiteful, and often disregard your emotions while taking you down. To spot one, find coworkers who make statements like, “Ignore that job. It is out of your league. You won’t make it,”. Believe us, we know how difficult it is to shake the unpleasant memories caused by these kinds of attacks.
Not to bust your bubble, but the best solution is to remove them from your life. If they do not show signs of leaving, you leave. By leaving, we meant to quit the job. However, if you do not wish to switch jobs, another way is to learn that they are wounded. Psycho-analyzing may come in handy here. Come up with justifications on why they behave the way they do, and as the name suggests, be psychotic. It is human nature to sympathize with unfortunate people anyway.
5. The Fixer-Upper
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This vampire is incredibly reliant on you to solve all of their concerns, day or night. They make you their counselor. They will swarm your desk during lunch, taking up all of your free time. At first, you may feel like they genuinely need your help. But the truth is, you are not the one with power. They are the ones with it, and you just fell into their sticky trap, unable to get out.
Stop trying to be the ‘Batman’. Be compassionate, but refrain yourself from providing solutions. Assure them by saying, “I’m sure you’ll find the right solution,” or gently advise them to get assistance from a trained expert if it starts to get overwhelming. Unless you are getting paid to solve their problems, then you could totally ignore this advice.
Miss Rodrigo lied. Vampires do not only come out at night. Some even go to work! It is impossible to avoid people who drain your energy, especially when you spend most of your hours with them. Bear in mind that you can always back out when it gets hard. What’s the point of being the white knight to these energy vampires if it puts your mood to go to work at stake, right?
