My Aura Isn’t a Snack

This may come as a surprise—but I isolate myself sometimes. Definitely in the winter. But also when I get overwhelmed. Sometimes even the most outgoing people have social anxiety! Mine occasionally comes with a touch of vertigo, which is really exciting. (Not really.) And often comes when I’ve absorbed a fair share of negativity.

I’ve also spent most of my life as a magnet for energy vampires—the kind of people who treat eye contact like a blood pact and decide you’re their new emotional support human. I don’t know why it happens. It just always has. It’s been an ongoing joke among my old friends.

People say I’m too nice. But I don’t think I’m “nice.” I’m friendly. I’m warm. I’ll ask how your mom’s doing and genuinely care. But I’ll also tell someone to go to hell faster than most—if they’ve earned it of course. That part tends to throw people. Because I’m “nice,” right? And nice people are supposed to absorb other people’s chaos without complaint. Right?

Lots of people confuse friendliness with weakness. And then they get surprised (and angry) when they realize you’re not the supporting character in their movie.

We all have our own movie reel. We’re the main characters in our own lives. But energy vampires love a sidekick. And if you’ve ever been the target of an energy vampire, chances are—you’ve been cast in that role way too many times.

I do actually have a low tolerance for bullshit. But I also tend to let it slide too long before finally snapping the cord.

If you’ve NEVER dealt with this, the whole thing probably sounds batshit crazy. But if you have, I bet you’re nodding along right now. Like aggressively nodding along.

So if you needed a sign to unlatch yourself from an energy vampire today—

This is it.

And maybe we need a heroine in the next book who battles energy vampires!

What do you think?