Top 10 Physical Energy Zappers

Other People
Babies are fun until they steal all of your physical energy.
Babies are fun until they steal all of your physical energy.
Yellow Dog Productions/Taxi/Getty Images

­No man is an island, if poet John Donne is to be believed. And no matter how much energy you've stored in the personal island of your body, other people are the waves that lap to shore and suck it up. Our relationships with those around us can cause emotional stress and wear us down, particularly if the person is especially negative or if the dynamics of the relationship are unhealthy.

Everyone has the potential to draw on our energy reserves, but you can likely think of a few people who take more than their fair share. For example, while you may love your job and your coworkers, there's probably one person that you dread running into at the water cooler or on your way to the bathroom. That person always has a sad tale of woe about workload and weekend plans that brings you down. It can even happen with your own friends -- you look forward to a fun after-work happy hour only to trudge home in an awful mood after listening to a pal whine and moan about love life problems and financial worries.

Whether it's a meddling mother-in-law or a needy sibling, other people stress us to the point that it drains our physical energy reserves. Not that the alternative -- truly being an island -- is any better. In one study, individuals who described themselves as lonely had more trouble getting those crucial hours of sleep than those who felt socially satisfied [source: Liu].