Posted by: Judith Orloff MD
on Jan 18, 2011
As a physician, I've found that the biggest energy drain on my patients is relationships. Some relationships are positive and mood elevating. Others can suck optimism and serenity right out of you. I call these draining people "emotional vampires." They do more than drain your physical energy. The malignant ones can make you believe you're unworthy and unlovable. Others inflict damage with smaller digs to make you feel bad about yourself. For instance, "Dear, I see you've put on a few pounds" or "You're overly sensitive!" Suddenly they've thrown you off-center by prodding areas of shaky self-worth.
To protect your energy it's important to combat draining people. The following strategies from my book "Emotional Freedom" will help you identify and combat emotional vampires from an empowered place.
Posted by: Judith Orloff MD
on Jan 13, 2011
As a psychiatrist, I have observed that relationships can be one of the major sources of exhaustion for my patients. In "Emotional Freedom" I discuss how to deal with different kinds of draining people to avoid getting fatigued, sick or burned out. One of these is the control freak.
It's important to identify if you are dealing with a control freak then develop healthy strategies to communicate. These people obsessively try to dictate how you're supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything; disagree at your peril. They'll control you by invalidating your emotions if those don't fit into their rulebook. Controllers often start sentences with, "You know what you need?" and then proceed to tell you. They'll sling shots like, "That guy is out of your league" or "I'll have dinner with you if you promise to be happy." People with low self-esteem who see themselves as "victims" attract controllers. Whether spouting unsolicited advice on how you can lose weight or using anger to put you in your place, their comments can range from irritating to abusive. What's most infuriating about these people is that they usually don't see themselves as controlling--only right.
Posted by: Judith Orloff MD
on Mar 9, 2010
Tagged in: Untagged
SECOND SIGHT CHAPTER ONE
THE BEGINNINGS OF WISDOM
I am large;
I contain multitudes.
- Walt Whitman
