Surrounded by Energy Vampires
How to Slay the Time, Joy, and Soul Suckers in Your Life
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Vanquish the energy thieves in your life and at work.
Are there people in your life that leave you feeling drained, depleted, and just exhausted? Twenty minutes with these people and you feel as if you’ve just run a marathon. They demand limitless time, emotional support, attention, or affirmation; you dread interacting with them but don’t know how to change the dynamic.
You’ve just encountered a real-life vampire. Dracula has nothing on these ubiquitous social villains who take—time, energy, attention, emotional capacity—without reciprocating, and leave you too exhausted to protest. Energy vampires can be people, situations, or even your own mindset, but in Surrounded by Energy Vampires, internationally best-selling author Thomas Erikson identifies the different types of energy vampires and offers practical tools, fun self-assessments, and relatable stories to help you combat them.
Using the same simple, four-color behavior that made Surrounded by Idiots a runaway bestseller, Surrounded by Energy Vampires will help you slay the energy sucking interactions in your life whether they’re lurking at the office, amongst your friends, or in your own home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Erikson (Surrounded by Narcissists) outlines a down-to-earth approach to dealing with the people he calls "energy vampires," the "uninvited mental squatter, who seem to live to drain everybody around them." Energy vampires can be perfectionists, drama queens, narcissists, bullies, whiners, or know-it-alls, according to the author, who offers tips for recognizing each variety (narcissists interpret "criticism as an expression of envy," while bullies "invariably blame others for their own mistakes"). Erikson explains how to use the DISC model, which categorizes personality types by color and is based on the work of psychologist William Moulton Marston, to identify the vampires uniquely harmful to each reader: perfectionists particularly rankle "yellows," who chafe against constant criticism, while "greens" have "evasive and deferential demeanors" that render them "excellent targets" for narcissists. After suggesting strategies for handling each type in personal and professional settings, Erikson explains how readers can work through their own energy-sucking habits by sharpening communication skills and improving self-awareness. While the focus on the hyperspecifics of the DISC model sometimes distracts, readers will find plenty of useful strategies, and Erikson's general ethos—"I can't change anybody else, but I can change myself"—inspires. It's a solid resource for those eager to protect their inner peace in a hectic world.
