Guarding your energy is a very general statement. Energy is a part of every living being and is necessary for everything in life, from exercise to digestion. In a world as divided and damaged as today's, many people have become vampiric, and they require the energy of other's to survive, they unconsciously learn how to drain other people's energy by using a "victim" mentality to keep your attention.
We have all experienced a friend or a relative who always seems to be down, depressed, or going through hardship, and many of us that have gone out of our way to try to help these poor souls by lending them an ear, or a shoulder to cry on, or even hours of drawn out advice, know very well that feeling of being "drained" or "depleted" after spending time on that person. Even if the time was spent writing a lengthy or detailed text message, we come to the realization that this person is not looking for advice, but rather a person to validate their feeling of victimhood and sometimes they're just looking for someone to help them complain about life with.
Fact of the matter is that we ALL struggle and face hardships in our lives, some more than others but the case remains that all situations good and bad are only temporary, our entire existence is only temporary, and life is certainly not about how difficult it is to get by in the world, but its more about finding solutions to problems and avenues around the obstacles that well all face. We all have the power to turn things around and create change in our environments.
We all have choices to make, some are not easy but they are choices nonetheless. A choice to stay in an abusive relationship is a choice, and although there are many factors as to why people would ever make this choice (kids, longevity and familiarity, financial reasons, etc.) but its up to all of us as individuals to stick with the choice we made and tough out the consequences until another option is found.
Do you hate your employer but you think you need to stay for the money? Do you tell yourself that you'll never find another job? The answer is to telling yourself that and perpetuating a lie that was told to you to gain your unwavering loyalty out of fear of being replaced. How about SECRETLY being on the lookout for another job opportunity, and calling in sick to go to your interview, so that you can then make a choice to stay or leave? If a choice doesn't exist currently, one can always be sought out or created.