3 Signs Your Co-Worker Is An 'Energy Vampire'

Illustration:Jianan Liu/HuffPost; Photo:Getty Images "Energy vampires" are everywhere at work, but you can protect yourself with proven strategies. “This is my office, also known as the hunting ground,” says energy vampire Colin Robinson in an episode of the satirical show “What We Do in the Shadows.” As he explains, “Energy vampires drain people’s energy merely by talking to them.” Robinson looks like an ordinary human, but he is a superpowered vampire who feeds off of bothering and boring his colleagues. “There is no official diagnosis or treatment approach specific to, no class on energy vampirism taught in graduate school, but we’ve all known them personally and professionally,” said California-based clinical psychologist Ryan Howes. “ you don’t feel like the conversations have been in any way productive or useful, and you feel like a lot of your time was just wasted for no real reason, those might be really good signs that you’re dealing with an energy vampire.” Another big sign is if they never want to hear a solution to their complaints. “Think about it: If they were totally emotionally healthy and had great self-esteem, would they need to coercively drain others of their attention and emotional support, inspiring resentment?” “No,” he said, “the energy vampire technique is probably something they learned to try to get their needs met when they were young, and they were never taught healthier ways to connect and maintain relationships.” He continued, “Thinking of them that way may help you see they are a person, just like you, but who had some speed bumps and poor guidance that resulted in this unfortunate interpersonal style,” so “knowing this may give you some more patience and compassion when interacting with them.” Don’t fake attention that you don’t really feel.