An energy vampire, or psychic vampire, literally feeds off the energies of those around them, attaching to a host and attempting to suck the person dry. Energy vampires literally cannot survive without feeding off the energy of others, so they do exactly that.

They may not mean to act this way, but they have relied on other’s energies for so long that they know no other way of living. An energy vampire represents someone who feels vulnerable and lost and doesn’t think they can survive on their own.

They also may not feel motivated enough to increase their own vibration, so they take to lowering the energies of those around them in order to boost their frequency. Sometimes, an energy vampire can conceal their ulterior motives quite well, but in general, they stand out like a sore thumb.

Here are 5 ways to spot an energy vampire:

Do you see these signs in someone you know?

According to Psychology Today, you have three ways to combat an energy vampire:

  1. Know the signs. Identify this negative person quickly and decisively.
  2. Avoid people you identify who deplete you of positivity.
  3. Refuse to be drawn into their negativity and drama.

This article focuses on step one, and you will learn how to spot people who cause mental and spiritual exhaustion.

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1. They always want someone to show them pity.

Energy vampires thrive off of attention, but they go about getting it in the wrong ways. They want other people to feel sorry for them, so they constantly give off a “poor me” vibe to get people to notice them. They likely haven’t had good relationships in the past, and so go to other people in order to get the attention they seek. Whether they just had a bad break-up, lost their job, or got in an argument with a family member, it always seems like they have some new sob story to share with you.

You can’t always trust them, though, because they simply don’t know how to discern between reality and the stories in their head anymore. They need to invent new methods of getting people to feel sorry for them constantly, because this energy transfers to them, which raises their own vibration. Watch out for people who always complain, because this is a clear sign of an energy vampire.

2. They look lethargic most of the time.

Despite sucking the energy out of people constantly, they never seem to have any. This makes sense, because the energy comes from an outside source, not from within. So, they continue to keep up their charade, even if it doesn’t seem to work any longer.

An energy vampire will likely have withdrawn, pale features, and simply exude a very off-putting, tired vibe. They lack motivation also. So whenever they need to get something done, you can rest assured they will run to you in order to get some inspiration, or even ask you to do the task for them.

3. An energy vampire doesn’t smile very often.

Energy vampires don’t feel happy most of the time, so they rarely smile. They can’t ever seem to create happiness within themselves and only smile when they have stolen energy from other people. They walk around this world aimlessly, feeling lost and threatened by everyone and everything.

That reaction happens when they don’t have any hope left to fix themselves, so they’ve taken to joining the dark side. An energy vampire hides behind their mask, hoping no one will notice. However, if someone seems unhappy a majority of the time, you can bet that you have an energy vampire on your hands.

4. They usually don’t have a lot of friends.

Energy vampires lead a very lonely life because no one would want to hang out with a person who chooses to live in such misery. An energy vampire wants to connect with people, but don’t remember how to genuinely do so without depleting people of their own life force. If you see someone who spends a lot of time alone, and also seems tired and unhappy most of the time, this is a clear sign of an energy vampire.

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5. Energy vampires put others down quite frequently.

They don’t know how to operate without cutting someone else down, and never seem to have anything nice to say to someone else. If they do, they just want to pull people into their trap and make them feel safe and protected, when they really just want to give them a false sense of security in order to steal their energy.

An energy vampire might give someone a really nasty remark, only to say later that they were “just kidding.” This type of person wants to engage with people but doesn’t really know how. They only know how to trick other people into becoming their friends, just so they can serve their own interests.