In her book Positive Energy, Dr. Orloff looks at how to transform fatigue, stress and fear into vibrancy and strength. The basic idea is that each person can nurture positive energy at work and at home. Inspired by her medical background, Dr. Orloff gives ten prescriptions that will help create a more positive and energetic life.

I asked her to tell us about prescription number nine:

Protect Yourself from Energy Vampires.

According to Dr. Orloff, some people make us feel more electric and some put us at ease. Others suck the life right out of us; these could fall into the category of the energy vampire.

What’s an energy vampire? It’s the person who, no matter how great you feel when you first encounter them, you end up feeling tired, drained and overwhelmed afterwards. When it comes to energy vampires nearly everyone has a story of an associate, friend or family member that can turn an energetic situation into a sad flop in a matter of seconds. When in business it’s important to recognize the energy vampires in your life. While you may not be able to, or even want to eliminate them, you can monitor your reaction to them and take steps to protect yourself.

Dr Orloff says, “If you want to protect yourself from vampires, you must be diligent about self-care.” In the book she describes several common vampires. They include:

-The Sob Sister: When you talk to her she’s whining, and loves a captive audience, she’s always the victim.

-The Blamer: He has a sneaky way of making you feel guilty for not getting things right. This person is overtly angry, and projects negativity.

-The Drama Queen: Life is always extreme, either really good, or really bad. She spends life jetting from one crisis to the next. She is energized by chaos.

-The Outwardly Nice Socializer: This is not an obvious vampire. He’s engaging in conversation, but you’re fading, and feeling a little seasick. He zaps you in a hit-and-run manner, usually at a party or social event.

Since most business owners interact with many different people on a regular basis, here are a few self care tips from the book:

-The moment you feel overwhelmed by an energy vampire, excuse yourself and find a quiet place away from the stream of people.

-Keep a distance that respects your personal-space needs.

-Set boundaries and don’t stay on the phone with a draining person for countless hours. Announce that you only have a few minutes to talk.

-Don’t feed the Drama Queen. If you don’t give her any juice she’ll go on to the next victim.

Dr. Orloff recently met Donald Trump; he told her that positive energy is the most important factor in business success.

Dr. Judith Orloff’s Positive Energy, is a book that will help business owners create a more peaceful, less frantic life, filled with people who are rejuvenating and replenishing. . .energy vampires beware!


Judith Orloff M.D. is a Psychiatrist and energy expert, author of the new book Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love. She is also author of the bestsellers: Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, has a private practice in Los Angeles, and is an international workshop leader on the interrelationship of intuition, energy, and medicine. She was featured in the 2003 Fortune Magazine Most Powerful Women Summit. Please join Dr. Orloff at a special weekend workshop on Positive Energy at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. For more information on Dr. Orloff's books and workshops visit drjudithorloff.com