INFJ personality types and INFP personality types are two of the MBTI personality types that tend to struggle with unhappiness in life. For INFJ personality types and INFP personality types, this unhappiness usually stems from keeping themselves small. This can show up in the workplace, in family life, or in a friend group. INFJ personality types and INFP personality types usually play small to protect themselves, and to ensure that they don’t trigger insecurity in others. However, this has a long-term detrimental affect on the INFJ or INFP, as they don’t feel like they can ever really be seen, heard, or acknowledged for who they are.
One of the ways in which INFJ personality types and INFP personality types keep themselves small is by holding back on their ideas. INFJ personality types are visionaries, and INFP personality types are intensely creative, so both types generate a lot of innovative big-picture ideas. True innovation and creativity tend to feel threatening to many other personality types, and so it often happens that the INFJ or the INFP who is trying to express themselves is met with resistance, attack, retreat, or withdrawal by the other party.
If the INFJ or INFP holds back on self-expression for too long, and never feels that their ideas are welcomed, or even considered, by other people, this can lead to anxiety and depression. The INFJ or INFP feels like no one really sees them, and no one cares about their insights. In order for psychological health to be restored, the INFJ or INFP must feel like they can step forward in life being fully themselves.
I talk more about this in the video below:
I’m teaching a new class focusing on deep creativity for INFJ and INFP personality types and we’ll be learning all about how to use our vision and intensity to find our creative gold. This new class is called “Creative Alchemy” and it begins on Wed Feb 28 and runs for three weeks.
I received a lot of requests to teach a class on the alchemical process of creativity for intuitive types, and so this one has been a long time coming and I’m very excited to see where it leads us. Every one of my classes is truly an experience, and I expect this one will be intense.
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter HERE to get all the updates on when registration for Creative Alchemy opens, and please also SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel here to get more videos on life as an INFJ or INFP. If you have any questions about the class, you can send them to me here.
Hopefully I’ll see you there!
Lauren Sapala is the author of Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain, The INFJ Writer, The INFJ Revolution, and the creator of Energy and Intuition for INFJs, an online course for INFJs on intuition, relationships, creativity, and more. She is also currently offering a free copy of her book Firefly Magic: Heart Powered Marketing for Highly Sensitive Writers to anyone who signs up for her newsletter. SIGN UP HERE to get your free copy.