This is kind of obvious when you say it out loud... If they drain you, they’re not your people.
I don’t mean that every conversation has to feel like a TED Talk or a therapy breakthrough. Life is still life. People have bad days… I have bad days. That’s normal.
I’m talking about a certain pattern of people.
The kind of people where you feel more tired after seeing them than you were before. The ones who somehow turn every interaction into a low grade stress test. You walk away replaying the conversation in your head, wondering how you ended up apologizing for something you didn’t even do.
Some folks don’t recharge your batteries. They siphon them… slowly… politely, and do it with a smile.
It took me a long time to admit that feeling exhausted around certain people wasn’t a personal flaw of mine. It wasn’t me being sensitive either. It wasn’t me needing to “toughen up.” It was information.
Energy doesn’t lie.
Your body knows before your brain wants to accept it. Your shoulders tense up. Your breath shortens. Your patience evaporates into thin air. You tell yourself you’re just tired, or busy, or stressed, when the truth is much simpler than that.
You’re simply around the wrong people!
Real connection doesn’t leave you feeling less than. It doesn’t require a recovery nap after.
Your people don’t drain you dry and call it closeness. They don’t confuse chaos for depth or constant drama for loyalty. You don’t need to perform, explain, or armor up just to exist around them.
If every interaction feels like you’re losing a little bit of yourself, that’s not chemistry. That’s leakage.
Pay attention to who you feel lighter around. Pay attention to who you can be quiet with… who you can trust. Pay attention to who doesn’t need you to shrink yourself so they can feel tall.
That’s where your people live.
And the rest…
They’re just noise reminding you what peace feels like when it’s gone.
See you tomorrow!
Jeff
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