Are you surrounded by someone in your life with an INFJ personality? You have probably experienced episodes of them having high anxiety and overthinking to a point where they close themselves off from the world so they can be alone to think. That’s because INFJs stress out and overthink; here’s what you can do to be supportive.
When INFJs stress and overthink, support them by accepting them for who they are. Avoid labeling their traits, don’t judge them, and don’t take their actions personally. Take time to listen when they need to talk, and help them do what they need to feel better, like time alone to process thoughts.
It can be very challenging as an INFJ who feels stressed and anxious. It is also tough for people around INFJs to know how to deal with their reactions and actions to situations. Sometimes you can feel helpless when you don’t know what the right thing to do is. In this article, we discuss some beneficial ways for an INFJ to support themselves and how to help one in your life.
How To Help Yourself As An INFJ When Stressed
Being an INF has many beautiful advantages. INFJs are super unique, but it isn’t always the easiest to handle a personality of such depth. Here is how you can take care of yourself when you feel stressed and your mind is on overdrive:
Avoid stressful situations. Social interactions and noisy, crowded environments can make you feel super anxious. Places like malls, clubs, busy restaurants, social gatherings, and theme parks might trigger your sensitivity, causing major discomfort. Only attend these places when you feel mentally and emotionally secure, and don’t be afraid to decline invitations to protect your peace.
Take care of yourself by filling your cup with acts of self-care, love, and compassion. When you feel stressed or find yourself overthinking scenarios, take time to do something you love like reading, exercising, enjoying a hot bath, meditating, or taking a nap. Take breaks from your busy schedule to recharge, be alone, and healthily process your thoughts.
Accept and appreciate yourself. Feeling highly stressed and overwhelmed happens due to your intuition skills. It is easy to see overthinking and being sensitive as negative traits, but it’s what makes you unique, empathetic, loving, and creative. Sometimes you just have to extend that compassion to yourself.
Find a creative outlet. As an INFJ with a deep intuition that results in overthinking and stress, you need an outlet to pour your thoughts and release that energy. INFJs are generally artistic, and you can use those skills to express yourself. Whether you cook, write, dance, paint, or play a musical instrument, find creative ways to sort through your emotions that will get you excited and build your self-esteem.
How To Support A Stressed INFJ
You may not understand how to support a stressed, sensitive INFJ in your life. You may feel helpless and defeated, especially if your INFJ goes into hideout mode from overthinking. There are beneficial ways you can support a stressed INFJ. Here’s what to do:
Be accepting of who they are and how they are. People often think INFJs are unreasonable in their needs and actions, but being sensitive is not a disorder. It is part of their personality and allows them to care deeply for others. They need to know you love them for who they are.
Don’t judge them. When you judge an INFJ, especially if they feel overwhelmed, it results in more overthinking when they are already struggling. Making comments that invalidate their experience make them feel bad about themselves like you want to change the core of who they are.
If they are stressed and choose to retreat, don’t give them labels of being shy, rude, socially awkward, etc. INFJs are pretty confident, loving, and have the skills to make beautiful connections. They simply prefer to enjoy their solitude and need time alone to be the best version of themselves.
Listen attentively when an INFJ opens up to you or shares a problem. INFJs are wonderful listeners but rarely ever talk about themselves. When they do, it’s because they genuinely need someone to listen. Instead of giving solutions and commenting, focus on listening because they have already been overthinking the situation before approaching you.
Don’t take their actions personally. If an INFJ chooses to spend time alone, decline an invite, or take a break from texting, calling, and hanging out with you, give them time. They probably need time to collect their thoughts and recharge by doing solitary activities and withdrawing for a while. They care deeply about close relationships and will return when they feel comfortable again.
Are INFJs Prone To Burnout?
INFJs struggle with burnout regularly because they are highly empathetic beings that can feel and take on the moods of others as if they were their own. They feel responsible for other people’s emotions and care deeply about the people around them. They end up with emotional burnout more often than not because they are intuitive and sensitive, which results in overthinking and stress.
Are INFJs More Prone To Anxiety?
INFJs are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types. That is because they are deeply empathetic and understand others better than they understand themselves. They can sense and take on the mood of others like it is their own. That often exhausts them and causes anxiety because they care so fondly about those around them.
INFJs are highly intuitive beings who are wise beyond their years. Their skills allow them to absorb a wealth of information and process it with old details. They analyze their findings and use their deep thinking abilities to predict circumstances. As much as their capabilities give them positive potential, it can become mentally and emotionally stressful, resulting in high anxiety.
How Do INFJs Handle Stress?
When an INFJ feels stressed out, they withdraw from people and disappear for a while. They will decline or ignore invitations and social interactions. They will avoid calling, texting, or doing anything more than necessary.
Going into hideout helps them avoid conflict and confrontation because they want to protect the feeling of people they care about. They prefer to figure things out by themselves and return when they feel emotionally safe again.
Conclusion
INFJs feel stressed and overthink more than you realize and more than they show. It can be challenging for the INFJ and the people around them. It is important to be accepting, kind, and compassionate to the needs of an INFJ and offer support in the way they need instead of what you want.
