The Vampire Suckers

As I walked through the cloudy mist my eyes fell upon him. His glowing red eyes, his dreary pallor, and those fangs…

Okay so we’re not really talking about vampires here or even the folklore behind them, but we are going to talk about things and people around us that suck out our life force. Much like vampires, whenever we’re too stressed or have low energy, our life force gets drained and we either get sick or we want to hide from the world. There are many factors in what drains us and it’s important to know how to avoid them and at best how to deal with them and treat them.

Once upon a time I had friends who I thought were true friends. But as time went by and I got to really step back to evaluate what friendship really meant, I realized that those certain so called friends weren’t really friends at all. They were as my college friends would call them, “drinking buddies”, meaning more or less they were only available for a good time. While there’s nothing entirely wrong with having friends just to party or hang out with, you have to really ask yourself would they be there for you when you’re not in the “having fun” mode. Or will they turn on you after they have drained you out of your fun factor.

There are many reasons and facets to why we get tired, or bored, or frustrated. Children particularly are susceptible to those energy draining moods since they’re like sponges – soaking up everything around them. They are unable to control their feelings and emotions and reveal their thoughts like an open book. As parents, we try to teach our kids to live a happy and healthy life and encourage them to have a positive outlook. But what happens when we’re too tired from work or taking care of the kids or dealing with other emotional distress? We must take care of our selves first before we can show our children the true meaning of living life well.

When you feel like parts of you are being drained away, there are several important steps you can take to regain control. In recent articles inside Natural Health and Delicious Living magazines, stress triggers point to mostly things we can not control and would like to control. It could be anything from wanting to be a better parent to losing weight to not having enough money to buy something new and grand. But if we take the first gigantic step back and look at it from an exterior view, we see that most of the things that cause our stress can indeed be controllable. All it takes is that first step whether it’s a baby step or a giant leap, we must acknowledge the change first. Here are examples of what we can do personally for ourselves before we become better parents and teach our children better ways of dealing with stress. Kids get stressed too, although their stress are fairly different from an adult. But stress for children can be detrimental to their health and well-being and if they don’t know how to control it or stop it, it could hurt them into adulthood.

 – Understand what is causing you stress.

– Write a physical list of the things causing your stress and determine if it’s possible to deal with it.

– Write resources on how you can absolve or reduce your stress and act on it. This could be anything from taking a class on the subject, joining a support group, or taking self-healing classes such as Taichi or yoga.

– Seek help from your loved ones; your spouse, your family, your closest friends, etc. Generally people you trust.

– Take a break if possible from the source of your stress. If it’s job related then take a vacation by all means.

– Stay away from negative energy and negative people. This refers to things/people that bring you down rather than lift you up.

– Eat better and nutritionally. Studies have shown that eating the right balance of foods will improve your mood tremendously as well as give your body and brain the powers they need. Include whole foods such as whole grain, organic vegetables and fruits, and reduce the amount of sugar intake.

– Exercise on a regular basis. This should include exercise that isn’t causing more stress on your mind and body. 

– After you write that list of things that are energy draining, start crossing off the things you have tackled already and smile!

– Repeat this mantra, “I am in control of my life”.

– And if it’s absolutely impossible to reduce that one particular stress factor, then you may need to think deeply on whether to end the source of it. If it’s a friend that has been causing you stress and you’ve tried all the possible ways to deal with it, then a break might be in order. Or if it’s a job that has been nothing but painful and upsetting with no positive end results, then you might need to find another job or take a different position. 

However you see it, all the things that have been sucking away your life force can reflect badly on your family life as well. If you have young children, they can particularly pick up on your moods and actions. After all, we alone are in control of our destiny and the paths we choose to take. As parents, it’s important for us to be good role models and to practice all the good things that make this world a better place. So if that life sucker is draining you away, then walk into the Sun and let its purity brighten your day.

 

Editors Note: If you are having serious life-altering stress, it’s best to consult a professional for help.