We all have to deal with energy vampires from time to time.

Some of them are relatively harmless, while others can literally ruin our life if we allow them to. The good news is that if we learn to spot them, we can also learn to deal with them and ultimately protect ourselves.

Here’s eight signs you want to pay close attention to…

1. Yawning

When someone drains our energy, we tend to feel exhausted both mentally and physically. The problem is that being tired in general could be attributed to other causes, such as poor sleep or diet.

If you’re worried someone may be draining your energy, but you’re not sure whether your exhaustion is caused directly by them, you want to pay attention to some very specific signs.

One of the most obvious ones is yawning. For example, let’s say you haven’t slept enough and you’re a bit tired, yet you start yawning right after you interact with a certain person.

If it happens once, it’s probably a coincidence, but something like five or ten yawns would basically guarantee that person is draining you, and your body is telling you that.

2. Forgetfulness

When we interact with an energy vampire, or toxic people in general, our mind is no longer able to function as it normally would. Sure, we may still be able to study, work, exercise, and so on, but our level of concentration will definitely decrease.

The same is usually true for our memory. So if you think someone is draining your energy, pay attention to your ability to focus and remember things when you are surrounded by them, or immediately after you have talked with them.

If it feels like your IQ has magically dropped by 20 points, that’s clearly a warning sign.

3. Constantly thinking about them

Energy vampires desperately crave other people’s attention. They want to interfere with their lives; they want people to think about them all the time because it makes them feel better about themselves.

As the definition says, they literally feed on other people’s mental (and/or emotional) energy, often unconsciously.

The third sign someone may be draining your energy is if you start thinking about them way too often. E.g. you’re at work and you suddenly remember something they said to you.

Then, during your lunch break, you keep thinking about one of their text messages. Then, as you drive back home, you’re still thinking about them, and so on. If this happens with a certain person, and that person only, it’s very likely to be a warning sign.

4. Feeling better when they’re away

Be 100 percent honest with yourself, because this one isn’t always easy to realize or admit.

Think: when they’re away, when they’re not talking to you, when you don’t see or hear them — are you actually feeling better? Do you feel calmer or happier? Or a strange sense of peace and relief?

If you don’t overthink it, this could be the easiest sign to spot. I mean, why would you feel a sense of relief when someone is away?

Sure, not everyone is on our same wavelength — there’s always going to be people we naturally don’t want to interact with, for whatever reason. But feeling a big increase in energy and happiness when you don’t see someone is definitely a red flag.

5. More anxiety

Again, you need to listen to your body and get in touch with your emotions.

Some of us are naturally a bit more anxious than others, and our anxiety will get worse during certain times of our life (for example, when we are stressed out, or when we feel our schedule is too demanding). This is normal, and not necessarily something you should fix or worry about.

However, anxiety could also be a powerful warning sign that someone is draining your energy. So if you think you may be dealing with an energy vampire, pay close attention to your thoughts and feelings when they’re around.

For example: do you notice sudden or more frequent anxious thoughts? Does your heart beat faster, do you feel a bit dizzy, or do you get cold hands? It could be a sign your energy is being drained.

6. Feeling sick

Some of the signs someone is draining our energy are quite subtle, and could be interpreted the wrong way — as we’ve seen, we may feel tired, but attribute our feelings to a different reason. Other signs, however, are more intense, and easier to spot.

One of them is physical sickness, which usually happens when an energy vampire has already interfered with your mental health for a while, and you have gotten to the point where your body becomes sick too.

If you ever notice headaches, stomach pains, or any other negative physical symptom right after you’ve interacted with a certain person, and this happens more than once, that’s a red flag.

7. Avoiding the places they go to

This is another sign that’s relatively easy to notice, provided you pay attention to your behavior. Because our intuition and subconscious mind are usually very good at spotting energy vampires (sometimes it’s a matter of minutes or even seconds), they will usually make us avoid a toxic person, often unconsciously.

If you think someone is draining your energy, pay close attention to any changes in your behavior, specifically the places you go to. Keep in mind, these could be tiny changes.

For example, you may tend to avoid a certain room or area when you’re at work (if the vampire is one of your colleagues), or walk faster when you see them, or, conversely, walk slower when you know you’re going to meet them.

8. The fact that you’re reading this

I mean, would you really take the time to read this whole article if there was absolutely no reason to do so? This itself could be a sign that there’s someone in your life who drains your mental energy.

If you’re spending a lot of time learning about energy vampires and their signs, you probably have a good reason to do so.

It’s true that some of us are very sensitive, or tend to take things personally, or are easily hurt, in which case we may think someone is an energy vampire, even when they’re not.

Because of their personality and attitude, some people, especially empaths, are more at risk of being drained mentally and emotionally, so they may notice some of these signs regardless of the intention of the person they’re interacting with.

So again, you need to be honest with yourself. Perhaps you’re just very sensitive, and you’re reading this post mostly out of curiosity.

But it could also be a sign that there is an energy vampire in your life, and you’re trying to find ways to deal with them so you can protect your wellbeing and vitality.

Signs someone is draining your energy: summary

There may be someone in your life who drains your mental, emotional, or physical energy if you…

  • Yawn many times after you see them
  • Tend to forget things and find it harder to concentrate
  • Think about them way too often
  • Generally feel calmer and happier when they’re away
  • Notice a significant increase in anxiety
  • Experience physical sickness after you see them
  • Subconsciously avoid the places they go to
  • Read articles such as this one