Overthinking is a big problem for both INFJ personality types and INFP personality types. As a writing coach who specializes in working with both types, I’ve seen that overthinking is tied to INFJs and INFPs struggling overall with creativity, feeling connected to their intuition, and life in general.
So many INFJs and INFPs have said to me:
“I overthink everything. Why can’t I stop?”
Overthinking for INFJs and INFPs manifests differently, but with either type, it tends to show up around the same areas in life—specifically in writing and creativity, and in relationships and interpersonal interactions. In all of these areas, overthinking tends to manifest as decision anxiety.
For INFP personality types, overthinking shows up as the feeling of having too many ideas and not knowing how to choose between them all. They may feel confused as to which story idea to start first, or if they should choose to begin a new project or go back to an old one. In these cases, the underlying fear at the root of everything for the INFP is that they will “choose wrong,” and they feel that if they make the wrong choice, they will ruin the creative project, or the relationship, or whatever it is that is requiring them to make a choice.
In contrast, INFJ personality types experience decision anxiety around following their intuition over using logic and/or proven formulas. In these cases, the underlying fear for INFJs is that they will end up with a creative “mess” or that they will make a “mess” of their life. INFJs are often triggered by chaos in their environment, and they feel fearful when they are faced with too many unknown factors.
I talk more about the differences (and similarities) between INFJ and INFP overthinking in the video below:
I’m teaching a new class, starting on February 16, called Creative Consciousness for INFJ and INFP Writers. In this class we’ll be learning:
How to make the shift from overthinking to trusting our own intuition
How to find what works with our unique intuitive temperament, instead of against it
How our relationships (especially romantic) affect our creativity, and vice versa
This is NOT just a writing class—although we will be learning about writing and using writing as a tool in the class to unearth our own hidden truths. This is a class about writing, creativity, and LIFE.
So many INFJs and INFPs feel stuck in life and held back by mental and emotional blocks that they can’t seem to get past. That’s the kind of stuff we’re going to be working on this class.
If this is resonating with you, stay tuned for the next video in the series: INFJs and INFPs Are Not Weird. We’re Neurodiverse. I’ll be talking about why the mainstream methods of creativity don’t work for us, and what you need to know about your own intuitive abilities in order to truly access your INFJ or INFP creativity.
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My classes for INFJs and INFPs are always a lot of fun. I hope I see you there!
Lauren Sapala is the author of 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.
