Panache

There are some people in your life, who may act as if they are your friends but they sneakingly suck the life out of you. Soon you feel exhausted, alone, misunderstood, and anxious.

But if you can identify these people, you may never indulge with them. Below are some soul-sucking creatures, you must stay away from.

Let us know which one you have had the experience of meeting in your life.

Also Read: 6 types of toxic people at work place and how to deal with them.

Victim personalities.

These people are not at fault but everyone else is wrong in the world. They often come across as ungrateful beings. Also, nothing good has ever happened in their lives. These are victim personalities. They are always a victim to their circumstances.

You may not recognize them immediately. But once you talk to them, they will fill you up with the difficulties they are facing in their lives. They are not telling you about your lives but to gain attention or sympathy for you. You may offer them some solutions. But they will ignore them stating those solutions won’t work.

At first, they may seem harmless. But soon, you will realize that they start sucking the life out of you. You may be a positive person who finds pleasure in problem-solving. But that does not apply to them. You will soon start feeling gloomy. And the world will come across as an impossible place to live.

The narcissists.

You are fated to come across one of these types in your life. At first, they may come across as extremely charming, understanding, and someone with leadership qualities. But if you are going to spend much time with them, you will realize that most of their charisma is shallow.

In reality, these qualities are nothing but to harness more appreciation and more people to cater to their egos. God forbid if you become one of these people who start clapping at the smallest of their deeds. They will want more out of you.

Narcissists are sneaky. They will not only stop at ego boosting. When no one else will be available to them to cater to their egos. They may look down on you. They will make you feel small. To prove themselves that they are good at what they do and who they are.

This may feel like constructive criticism. They will let you know that they are telling you because they are your well-wishers. But instead, they feed on your low self-esteem compared to their own shine.

The martyrs.

The martyrs are the people who have done everything sacrificing their own wellbeing. They will tell you different stories, instances, and examples when they have put themselves last for the betterment of the cause or other people.

They need credit for the things that they may never have participated in. They will try to prove that certain things might not have been possible if they were not there. There is no one like them. And no one in the world can do so much as much as they have done. Everyone must be grateful for them. Moreover, obey them.

At first, it would seem that they have a lot of knowledge and experience about things. They are the ones who are running the show. But soon, you will realize they do not have power over anyone. Instead, they only preach how much they have sacrificed because they want power over you. They want you to be forever grateful.

Control-freaks.

Have you ever had a friend/ roommate/ partner who wants to dictate every part of your life? It starts from wanting to know what you have been doing. And slowly they start telling you what to eat, what to wear and how to behave.

They may come across as your well-wishers. They would tell you they are experts and you are lucky to have them. Now, they are going to change your life. Instead, they extend their access to all parts of your life. And soon, they own you.

They know the things you never knew about yourself. And start controlling you based on your weaknesses. The two disadvantages of having them around you are: firstly, you will gradually start forgetting who you are. And secondly, you will start becoming dependent on them like a drug. That will leave you more vulnerable than before.

The Chaos Magnet.

Have you ever had a drama-seeking person in your life? You may want to live low-key, without attracting any attention towards yourself. You may feel comfortable in your bubble. However, that might not be the same thing with them.

The chaos magnets are drama mongers. They will create something dramatic from the smallest of things. The moment they realize that they are not getting enough attention, they would want to disrupt everything. There are two types of chaos magnets.

One, who wants to be the center of the drama. And second, who wants to create drama but will want to witness chaos from afar?

The first ones are easy to catch. No matter what happens, chaos follows them around o’clock. But the second ones are hard to notice. You may not even realize how cleverly they suck the life out of the room. Once they start the fire, they will witness it as drama and chaos satisfies them.

Passive-Aggressive Manipulators.

Are you at fault? No. You may not even be involved with it. But suddenly, it is your fault that you were not a part of something, they want you to be a part of. These are passive-aggressive manipulators. You may never know what has been going on in their minds. But somehow, you are on the receiving end every time.

Do you remember Regina George from Mean Girls? She complimented on the skirt and as soon as the girl turned, she said mean things about it. She did not need to compliment or say mean things. But she did it out of the habit.

They are mostly two-faced. They will give you a compliment with an underlined insult. Regina was an outright manipulator. She manipulated her parents into giving her their room. She did the same with her boyfriend when she thought he might date the new girl.

You need to read the signs constantly and that makes it exhausting to be around these people. Because they manipulate you passively, you may start doubting yourself. Hence, it will affect your self-esteem and confidence.

The Megalomaniacs.

The Megalomaniacs are a combination of a control freak and a narcissist. They are power-hungry people who need attention and want control over everyone. They make you feel anxious and always on your toes.

They are obsessed with power and control. And someone who appreciates and enjoys liberation can never survive with them. You will often find them lonely but once you become their friend. They will try to gain control over you. You may try to fulfill their needs but it is never enough for them.

Do you remember Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada? Miranda calls everyone incompetent even the people in the office tries so hard to please her. They change themselves and try to give their best at work, and yet Miranda never acknowledges any of that.

Similarly, Megalomaniacs never acknowledge your efforts. They will never say a word of appreciation. Instead, they will criticize you to keep you under their domain.

The preachers.

These will remind you of the leaders of a cult. “Do as I say, not as I do.” Remains their motto. They want control over you. First, they sniff at the things that you desire. Once they come to know that. They will tell you an impossible way of reaching your objective.

They will weave a story around your personality and manipulate you based on the type of person you are and what you desire out of your life. They will ask you to live a life in a certain way. But those rules will never apply to them.

Questioning them will make you a bad person. Since they are a preacher, they might tell everyone that you are not a good enough being. Therefore, spoiling your reputation for everyone around you.

Preachers are toxic because they may come across as saintly but they never have good intentions in their hearts. They simply want people to follow, obey, and respect them. Also, they might have a God complex.

Also Read: How to identify toxic friendships?

Also Read: 10 effectives ways to maintain healthy boundaries.