begone!: 3 ways to rid yourself of an energy vampire

An energy vampire is someone who feeds off other people's energy because they are feeling low and don't know how to bring themselves back up. In my experience, an energy vampire will not be able to drain you when you are at your highest, most happy, confident, and strong state. They will wait until you are weakened slightly by some negative event, or if you are just feeling a bit tired or lower than usual. 

You will know you've encountered an energy vampire when you find yourself left in a funk by someone who appears to have latched on to you and won't leave you alone until they've dumped all of their negativity and drama onto you.

You should never encourage this kind of conversation, but sometimes the energy vampire doesn't need to be encouraged to continue their tirade.

I should be clear here. I am not talking about a friend who has had a bad day and is coming to you for support. The energy vampire doesn't really have a purpose or particular problem in mind. They are just interested in spreading negativity.

I've been working with this quite a lot lately and have found a couple of things that really work to stop the drain of my own personal energy and restore it to it's higher level.

1. Sage. Sage burning has been used in many cultures as a method for purifying a space or a person. 

I was amazed just how completely this technique works in a space where the energy might be dark, negative or low, or where an energy vampire might have been hanging out. 

Simply light the sage and waft the smoke around the area in question. You can even do this to purify yourself after an attack. 

If you don't have sage, you can use incense also. It may not be as powerful, but the intention that you bring to the practice is the most important thing.

2. Water. Stand under a shower, dive into the ocean, make yourself a mineral bath. Close your eyes as you do and imagine the pure water glowing with healing light as it pours over you. 

Decide that when you emerge from the water you will be reborn, your energy restored.

3. Breath. This one you can do during the attack to protect yourself and even deter further attack. 

As you continue to look in the direction of the energy vampire, bring your awareness to your breathing. Feel the inhale and feel the exhale. Hear the breath and feel the breath and let the sound of the voice fade into the background. 

Let your vision turn inward and see the energy vampire as a child, crying out for help and attention. Continue to give no importance to what they are saying. 

Continue to feel the breath for as long as it takes for the energy vampire to go away. They may look at you for a response. Make sure you do not buy in. Smile lovingly or say something general like "is that so". Continue feeling the breath until you relax back into your own body.

These are just a few things that I have found work best for me. I hope you find them useful too and would love to hear your tips for things that you have found helpful.