One of the biggest drains on our energy is interactions with other people and how we respond to them. And what I mean by this is people that like to push your buttons. Maybe they are aware they are doing it and maybe they’re not. Or maybe they’ve been doing it for so long that they don’t even realize just how much they do it.

Regardless, certain individuals can really drain your vital life force energy very quickly in their attempt to illicit a negative reaction out of you, regardless of how conscious they are of the behavior. And this is a problem for those of us on the receiving end of it, because it can force us to respond in ways that are not quite healthy or constructive, and can be very unbecoming. However, if we take a step back and try to look at the situation from a more objective point of view, we can often identify what is really happening and stop it in its tracks.

Often all we need is a simple shift in our perception of the situation to prevent ourselves from being drained. I typically don’t recommend shutting down emotion and actively choosing not to feel, because there is a reason for emotion and we can learn many things from it. However, when you find yourself literally EXHAUSTED because someone close to you is consistently taking actions or saying things to try to create a negative reaction within you, the very best thing you can do for yourself is to stop giving them the responses they want, and thus giving them your valuable energy in the process.

It’s literally like shutting off the valve that feeds others your energy. The bottom line is you don’t want to be a “generator” for creating negative energy for anyone. It doesn’t do you any good, and it certainly doesn’t do them any good, even if it does meet their immediate needs. To be honest, you’re doing both them and yourself more good by breaking the cycle than perpetuating it, not to mention humanity as a whole.

It’s just like with a child throwing a temper tantrum. They act out in a negative manner to get your attention. The worst thing you can do is to feed the negative cycle they are in. You really want to ignore it (as much as possible), stay in a state of non-reaction, and take actions that lessen the behavior rather than maintain it or even add to it. And the best action you can take is as little as possible.

You certainly want to be as positive as possible, and always turn a negative into a positive when you can, but in the true case of someone who is just trying to push your buttons, even a positive reaction can be a way to lure you back to a negative reaction. Individuals like this are typically not accessing their own power and spiritual resources within. If they were, they wouldn’t be looking outside of themselves to create energy in any form.

When you have identified someone like this in your life, one of the best things you can do is to turn within, finding the peace and joy that exists within yourself, and experiences it as much as possible there. Externally, however, it is better to remain in a state of calm indifference around them, turning things positive as much as possible while displaying as little emotion as possible to them. The idea is to break the negative pattern within the relationship with them because eventually they will see that there is no benefit in their behavior.