Habits that Drain Your Energy. How to Identify and Eliminate Your Energy Zappers. 

Feeling Drained?

It’s normal to feel drained after a long day at work, but if you’re feeling run down all the time, it might be time to take a look at your lifestyle. Maybe you are putting too much energy into things that actually cause you to feel depleted.

In this article, you will learn to identify (and eliminate) your own energy zappers.

Different Types of Energy Zappers

As you likely know, there are many things that can drain your energy. From the people we interact with to the things we eat, it’s important to be mindful of the factors that take away our vitality. By being proactive and identifying our energy zappers, you can work on eliminating them from your life and reclaim your power.

If you haven’t previously made the connection, here are some things that can drain your energy:

  • Overthinking
  • Negative emotions
  • Wrong foods
  • Stress
  • Lack of sleep
  • Clutter
  • Unhealthy environment (home or work).

You may also find energy zappers to include habits, such as:

One more (BIG) thing: People.

  • You know, the ones who always manage to suck the life out of you. They’re constantly negative, and they just never seem to be happy. No matter what you do, you can’t please them. Yea, no fun!

While it is one thing to create a list of things that generally cause people to feel depleted, it is far more valuable to identify your own Energy Zappers.

Identifying Your Energy Zappers (aka Energy Vampires)

Energy vampires are things that, simply put, sucks the life out of you. These can be habits or activities that leave you feeling burned-out.

Steps to Identify Energy Zappers & Things that Boost Your Energy

Get a piece of paper.

  • Fold the paper in half—length-wise, like a hot dog. We are going to be creating lists on both sides of that paper.

Take a few minutes to relax.

Think of the things that bring you joy.

  • These are things or scenarios that cause you to let out a sigh of relief because you feel at peace. Continue to think about the things that make you smile. As situations come to mind, write them down on the right side of the paper.
    • There are no right or wrong answers here. You are simply writing a list of things that bring you peace and happiness.

Next, contemplate the things that make you feel depleted.

  • Think of the the things or situations that cause you to become frustrated, upset, or cause you to lose energy. Write these things down on the left side of the paper.

Title the lists you just made.

  • Once you have at least five things on each side of the paper, write a title on the top of the page. On the top left side, write Energy Zappers. And, On the right half of the page, write Energy Generators.

Create awareness and add more.

  • As you move through the coming days, each time you come across a situation that causes you to feel drained or restores your energy—add it to the list!

Refer to the list regularly.

  • If possible, consider placing this somewhere it will be visible on a daily basis. You may consider next to your bed on the nightstand, at your desk, on the refrigerator, or somewhere you walk/stand in your home regularly. Or, if you are more of a digital person, create of version of it in the Notes app.

Notice you are struggling?

  • Every day, we are hit with a barrage of negative stimuli that can impact Your productivity, creativity, and emotional state. From the news to your personal relationships, it can be difficult to maintain a positive outlook and avoid succumbing to the Energy Zappers.
  • However, with a bit of mindfulness you can reduce the negative impact on your life. So, be sure to pay attention to the list that you created. Focus on decreasing the number of Energy Zappers and adding more Energy Generators into your life!

Focus on the Generators!

  • Need a quick energy infusion? Look to your list of Energy Generators. Think of ways you can incorporate them into your day. The more you refer to this list for Energy Generator ideas, the better.

Now you know your Energy Zappers and Energy Generators, you can begin to work on strategies to limit or minimize their impact!

When People are Your Energy Zappers

Identifying people or situations that drain you of energy is an important step in taking control of your life. They can be anyone from a family member or friend to a colleague or boss. There are many ways to deal with energy vampires, but the most important thing is to recognize that they exist and that they can have a negative impact on our lives.

A lot of times, we don’t even realize that these people are draining us because we develop coping mechanisms over time to deal with their negative energy.

If you have become accustom to certain people, and were previously unaware they have been an energy vampire, then it will take some specific strategies to help you figure out exactly who is causing you unnecessary stress.

Once you have identified the person (or people) who drain your energy, you can distance yourself from them or limit your interactions. Schedule your time so you don’t have to spend a lot of time with them.

If you completely avoid being around them, that is probably better for you. But, of course it will depend on who it is and where you interact with one another.

What happens when you can’t distance yourself?

If you cannot physically distance yourself from them, it is important to limit your emotional dependence on them. We also need to learn how to protect ourselves from their negativity. One way to do this is by setting healthy boundaries and not letting their negativity affect you.

When we don’t set boundaries, we end up feeling overwhelmed, resentful, and used. We may also find ourselves in abusive or codependent relationships. If you have people who are sucking the energy out of you, it could be because you are not setting boundaries.

Pro-tip: It’s time for boundary setting!!

Learning to set healthy boundaries is imperative. This means learning to say no when you need to, and being assertive about what you do and don’t want in your life; it may also involve asking for what you need. It can be difficult to set boundaries, especially if you’re used to putting others’ needs before your own, but it’s worth it in the end.

Strategies for Maintaining Your Energy Level

Make time for yourself — every day

  • No matter how busy you are, it’s important to make time for yourself every day. When you’re constantly running around and working hard, you can quickly become drained and ineffective. Maintaining your energy is essential for success, both in your professional and personal life. It can be as simple as taking a few minutes to meditate or journal in the morning or evening, or going for a walk outside.

Schedule breaks

  • We often get caught up in the day-to-day life and forget that we are supposed to enjoy life. One way to do this is to be more intentional with your time by scheduling breaks. Pro-tip: Schedule it in your calendar and set an alarm. This way, you won’t suddenly look up at the clock and realize you missed it and have a long list of things that need to happen instead.

Physical activity

  • Exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel good. It also helps you to sleep better and can increase your productivity. It’s important to find an activity that you enjoy, so that you will be more likely to stick with it
  • If you don’t like running, for example, then you’re not going to want to do it every day. Try different activities until you find one that makes you feel good. Once you find something you enjoy, strive to do at least five minutes a day. If you feel like doing more, go for it. But, don’t force yourself to do more than the five minutes. Otherwise, you may find yourself more frustrated than motivated.

Limit alcohol

  • It’s no secret that alcohol can have a negative impact on our energy levels. In fact, drinking just one beer or alcoholic beverage can reduce our productivity by up to 20%.
  • But what many people don’t know is that the negative effects of alcohol are not related to just the time you are intoxicated. Alcohol disrupts your sleep cycle, which can leave you feeling exhausted the next day. Therefore, even if you are not feeling hungover you can still have less energy and feel more tired the next day.

Drink water

  • Water is essential for human life, and it also has a number of benefits for our health and energy levels. When we’re dehydrated, our body has to work harder to perform basic tasks, which can lead to feelings of fatigue. Drinking water can help to restore energy levels and improve cognitive function.
  • Water is also a natural detoxifier. It helps to flush toxins out of our system, which can make us feel more energetic and less bloated. Staying hydrated is one of the simplest ways to maintain good health and improve energy levels.

Bringing it to a Close

There are a lot of different ways to adjust your lifestyle in order to improve your overall well-being. In this article, we explore some of the most commonly suggested methods, and we’d love to hear what you think! Comment below and let us know what causes you to have an increase or decrease in your energy levels. Do you have any other tips to share? We’d love to hear them!

Until next time,

XOXO Kristi
XOXO Kristi

Any links included in this article are not affiliate links.

They are provided solely as a resource for you because we believe in the magic of them. XO

Tell us what you think