What is the “Cocoon Phase” for Introverts? And Are You in One Now?

I’ve taught dozens of online classes over the past few years, and almost all of my students are introverts. Sometimes I teach on topics like writing and creativity, and sometimes I teach personal growth and development. But no matter what the subject of the class, I’ve noticed something very surprising with my students that’s been happening since the pandemic.

The majority of my introvert students have been going through huge life transformation in the past few years.

Some have reported to me that they either suddenly lost their job, or quit their job. Others have ended relationships with long-term partners, or decided they would like to find a partner after being single for a long time. Some of these introverts have picked up and moved across states, or to a different country, or are considering a big move like that right now. Continue Reading

16 April, 2023 by

Why INFJ Writers Suffer from Decision Paralysis

One of the most common problems for INFJ writers is when they become paralyzed when faced with making a creative decision about their writing. Sometimes this happens when the INFJ writer is trying to decide which writing project to start first, and sometimes it happens when they are already working on a writing project and they are trying to make a decision about which direction it should go in for the best forward movement on the project.

What’s happening when an INFJ writer is blocked in their decision-making is usually that we’re getting overwhelmed. This occurs when INFJ writers use thinking over intuition when trying to make creative decisions. Although we are strong in our thinking skills, these skills should be relegated to situations which call for straightforward problem-solving, not complex intuitive creativity. Continue Reading

2 April, 2023 by

Are You Self-Sabotaging Your Writing Goals?

Whenever I talk to writers about how anxiety shows up during the writing process, I usually ask them if they’re experiencing the most anxiety during the first draft stage, the editing stage, or the stage where they begin to share their writing with other people. And always, quite a few writers tell me that they experience the most anxiety before they even start ANY of the stages. It’s when they are thinking about beginning a writing project, or pushing themselves to actually sit down and do it, that they feel the most freaked out.

This strong, underlying anxiety about the writing process is rooted in perfectionism, and it causes writers to self-sabotage their writing goals before they even begin. Continue Reading

23 March, 2023 by

How to Conquer a Lack of Writing Motivation

Lack of writing motivation is one of the biggest silent killers of creativity. I say “silent” because so many writers don’t talk about this issue, and that’s because a lot of us feel deep shame when we can’t get motivated. It’s very common for writers to suffer from this problem and blame themselves, and it’s hard to reach out for help or find support when you’re in a shame spiral about a lack of motivation.

When most of us experience lack of motivation, we usually assume that we’re being “lazy.” Or that we’re not that creative and that inspiration is something we might never see again. However, this is absolutely not true. Lack of motivation is something we can rarely control, and without outside support, it can feel impossible to move past. Continue Reading

21 March, 2023 by

Feel Like You’re Going Nowhere with Your Writing?

One of the biggest problems I see writers struggle with is that we often feel like we’re going nowhere with our writing. We may feel like we’re not making any actual progress, or we’ve been working on a project for a really long time, and still, we’re not seeing measurable results. When we’re in this painful place with our writing, we often feel alone and like we lack support, and like we also lack the structure we need to keep going with our writing. Continue Reading

19 March, 2023 by

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