The Constant Critics
We’ve all met those people with an innate talent for delivering backhanded compliments. You tell them about something you accomplished, and their response will always be something like “Oh, yeah… but…” You choose something for yourself, and they raise an eyebrow, “Well, if you want it that way…”
At thirty or forty, you may feel like having enough energy to debate with them or persuade them. By seventy, this dance just gets too tiring. Life has taught you things; you know what is best for you, what you have won, and what you have lost in the process. To continue listening to a person who looks down upon you after such a long life of experience is pointless.
There’s plenty of psychological research that says chronic criticism wears us down, but you don’t need a study to tell you that. Your body will tell you when the situation gets too much, you feel it in your shoulders. Today, your mental well-being is no less important than your blood pressure. If being around certain people always feels like you’re on trial to get their stamp of approval, then it’s probably high time you stopped inviting them around.
The People Who Drain You of All Energy
And then, there are what we may refer to as “energy vampires.” I’m sure all of us have one in our circles of friends. We see their name flashing on our cell phones, and we find ourselves exhaling a deep breath just thinking about engaging in conversation with them because all they wish to talk about is their problems, pains, and grudges against life.
Of course, we all like to support our loved ones in times of need. But the problem here is distinguishing between someone having a difficult phase in life and someone whose entire personality revolves around misery. Once you’ve spent two hours listening to someone complain, you can never really make up for that lost time.
The older we become, we find ourselves noticing that the time it takes to be energized again is longer than it used to be before. When we know that we have a limited number of good hours during the day, would you sacrifice three hours of it for a person who hasn’t even bothered to check up on how you’re doing? It’s alright not to take part in everything. It’s alright not to affect your mood by others.
