Vampires

I vant to suck your blood!

No no no... not Dracula! Pshaw, vampires don't exist you say? Oh they do, though not in the HBO sort of way.

Psychic vampires are among us. You may be one of them! You may know someone who is. A psychic vampire is the type of person who drains you of energy. Someone who requires a lot of attention. Someone who is always taking and never giving.

Pair up a psychic vampire with a very generous person, and the generous person will be "dead" in no time. That happens a lot more than most people think.

So how can you protect yourself from a psychic vampire? Hang garlic around your neck? Get real. You have to be able to notice the "signs". No they won't come out only at night. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does this person make me tired? - We're talking emotionally, physically, and mentally tired, not just sleepy. A psychic vampire will essentially drain you of any energy you have.

2. Does this person ever give? - Sure they may give you something, but what I really mean is, do they ever give anything to help the relationship grow in a positive way? Are they willing to talk to you? Are they willing to compromise? How about just going the extra mile to make you feel good?

Now that you've gotten those answered, how about fending them off? What do you do?

Draw your boundaries.

Tell this person that you will not let them cross that line, that is *your* personal space. Any time that person tries to cross that line, remind them of what they are about to do. If need be, get away from that person. Go for a walk. Go see a movie. Get away. If it gets bad enough that the person continues to cross your boundaries, then it is probably best just to end the relationship. I know I know...that can be hard, but sometimes it is necessary.

Most importantly, however, YOU have to decide what YOUR boundaries are and you have to make sure you can stand strongly enough to keep those boundaries drawn.

If it was only as easy as wearing garlic...