5 Situations That Drain Your Emotional Energy

We have all been in situations that have exhausted our emotional energy. They are usually situations where you are deeply involved in one way or another. But after you go through them, you believe that you didn’t get much after all the effort you put into it.

Emotional energy is a relatively new term to describe our vitality. Vitality is the strength we have before fatigue sets in. If we feel that some situations wear us down, it is because they take away all our vitality in things that are unimportant, but that take effort.

There are many situations that drain our emotional energy. They should be avoided because they ask too much of us and give very little in return. They are situations that only distract us from what really matters and from the things that enrich us. Let’s learn to identify them and avoid them. Here are five of them.

1. Arguments about unimportant matters

A debate is a great opportunity to present your own views and learn from the opinions of others. Few things enrich us more than a constructive dialogue with people who think differently. It broadens our perspective and enriches our thinking. It also strengthens our communication skills.

However, something very different happens when two people get into a pointless argument, the sole purpose of which is to “beat the other” and impose their own points of view. This often just leaves a bad taste on your tongue. You waste a lot of energy, you show the worst of yourself, and it’s just a matter of personal vanity.

2. Complaining also robs you of your emotional energy

Both complaining and constantly listening to the complaints of others are situations that drain our emotional energy. Complaining is something we all do from time to time. It’s very normal. But sometimes complaining becomes a habit and a way of life. We go on and on about the same problem, without really doing anything to fix it.

Complaining is a form of communication that develops an attitude of powerlessness. We’re not happy with the way our lives are going, but instead of focusing on what we can do to change, we just keep going on about the negative side of things. It’s just not worth wasting our time on this. It just makes us evade our responsibilities.

3. Gossiping

One of the situations that drains our emotional energy is sticking our noses into other people’s private lives instead of focusing on our own. This kind of ‘voyeurism’ is nothing more than a sign of a lack of identity. Those who gossip about others look for themselves in other people. The thing is, they just can’t find themselves.

The worst thing about this attitude is that it is often accompanied by an inexorable criticism of other people. We observe others and get involved in their personal lives, but we only think about bringing them down. There is no worse way to waste time than gossiping. Not only does it drain your energy, but it also lowers you.

4. Worrying again and again

Worrying about things over and over always leads to confusion and inaction. Obviously you need to weigh your options and the only way to do this is to look at the pros and cons. But the problems start when you just go through all the options and never make a decision.

One of the situations that drain our emotional energy is compulsive doubt. This is when we think and think, but only make up “what if” and “but”. We try to find the right answer or make the right decision just by thinking. However, we forget that many answers only come when we combine thought and action.

5. Need for approval

We are constantly trying to get other people’s approval. We spend so much time worrying about things that it blurs our vision of life. Instead of investing time in who we are, whether others like us or not, we simply spend our time doing things that other people want us to do.

By doing this we are just wasting our time. People either accept you or they don’t, and sometimes for reasons that are completely out of your control. If you’re blonde, you’re blonde. If you are Swiss, you are Swiss. In fact, one factor that often produces rejection is the excessive desire for acceptance. That’s why it’s just not worth wasting our time on this.

These situations that drain our emotional energy need to be cleared from our personal lives. In the end, we usually do them when we’re confused or feeling insecure. Your life is valuable. Your time too. Don’t waste it on things that don’t enrich your life at all.