Wednesday, December 9, 2015

How to be an INFJ in a world that isn't made for you.






https://www.patreon.com/posts/14110909


Oh, my dear little INFJs. How complex you are! How difficult to explain. Luckily, this advice is for you, which is way easier than trying to define you to someone else. It definitely helps that I am one of you! And to disclaim, not all of this stuff applies to me, as not all of it will apply to you. We are all individual snowflakes, of course. But there are some themes I've noticed in my personal & professional relationships with other INFJs, so here are some tips to navigate life as an INFJ: 

1) You have to make yourself known. I know it's easy to get all "woe is me, nobody understands me" (which is a legit thing btw) but there's something to be said for doing the work to consciously allow yourself to be seen by the people closest to you. You are an onion, and as such it can take years for a person to peel back all the layers of you. And you do want this, right? You want to be seen and understood, right? It is true that you are deep and complicated and can be kind of messy to distill down, and I don't know that it's really a thing to be all the way known, but ultimately you can at least be as known as possible if you allow it and actively invite people in to your world. 

2) Speed up the onion-peeling process by offering up access to what you instinctively would prefer people would just know to dig for. Accept that they don't know, because a) most people are not as intuitive as you are and b) you are a treasure island and they have most likely never visited one of those before. Instead of punishing them for not knowing where to find the gold, give them a map. Help them dig. Sift through what they help you unearth; it's likely some of it you didn't even know was buried there. You can discover it together. 

3) Be mindful of the vibe you're giving off. I know you are at your core a warm and loving person, but let's face it: you can be kind of prickly sometimes. So remember that nobody wants to snuggle with a porcupine. I know that the prickliness is hiding a gooey center, but I only know this because I have VIP insider access. Most people don't know this. If what they see is a bunch of sharp edges and pointiness, they are not probably going to stick around to find a way around that into the beautiful garden paradise your prickliness protects. They are simply going to assume you do not want them in your space, which sometimes is true but often is not. 

4) You have to intentionally make yourself appear open and warm and inviting to the people you actually do want in your space, so that they know it's safe to approach you. Most people are not going to take liberties with you, because they will intuitively sense that you are not someone to take those liberties with. (Although the ones that do are often the ones you love best, because they are brave and undaunted by your forcefield. They bust right in like "you're going to love me, deal with it" which you secretly like. These are gonna be your ENFP types, most often.)

The whole article moved here: 

Also you can find out more and book an appointment with me here

84 comments:

  1. I love this! Thank you for your encouragement and timely reminders. From a fellow INFJ :)

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  3. I have read and read and reread this at least 10 times since I found it yesterday. I don't know if I've ever felt as validated as I do right now. Thank you for your post, and thank you for putting words to emotions/behaviors/stressors that I have never been able to understand, let alone communicate. Also from an INFJ.

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    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  4. I want to pin this but I keep getting an error - Help!

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    1. i don't know how to pin anything. LOL

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    2. Same with me I cant pin and want to pin this one and 'Care & feeding of the INFJ'. If you could just add a valid image to this page 'pinterest' will allow it to pin. (Damn Pinterest they need a image to be saved with the article which they call pin).

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    3. okay, i added an image. did that help? that care & feeding one is all over pinterest, how did they do it?

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    4. That was fast (No wonders we INFJ are caring, want to share/help as much as and as fast as we can, sometime slight delays to our standards makes us guilty). Now I was able to pin it :-D.

      Looks like some other caring INFJ added a image (a black big voice out bubble type image with title 'Care & Feeding of an INFJ') That's from where I got connected to your blog and now glued to it. Will try to find how that was done will share as another comment here.

      Knowing you are an INFJ, I would request you to add images in your articles... there's a lot more ppl reading pinterest and not feeling alone :)

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    5. Okey that was done by Jennifer Soldner (http://www.jennifersoldner.com/) another great INFJ life coach, helper. I did google and found following way:

      1. Take a screen shot of the page you want to pin
      2. Save the screen shot to your hard drive
      3. Copy the URL of the page you want to pin
      4. Upload the image as a pin (I rather than doing 1 and 2, uploaded one of my favourite image and pin it)
      5. Open the pin
      6. Click the pins edit button
      7. Paste the copied URL into the URL box

      This worked perfectly and when I saved the URL of your blog my final pin also says saved from your blogs (So correct credit goes to correct writer).

      Hope this helps and happy to serve :-)

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    6. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  5. #12. Oh the things I have said that I would love to be able to take back!!

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  6. This is exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for this article. I have bookmarked it.

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    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  7. this, beautifully explained.. thank you, you're very generous

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  8. awww. thanks, everybody! so glad it's resonating. :)

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  9. I'm an INFP and a lot of this rings really true, especially the bit about being more deliberately open and inviting, cheers!

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    1. Your artical 'personality type 101' (http://millercounseling.blogspot.in/2015/12/personality-type-101.html) is bang on in understanding and it was so good/great of you to add INFJ/INFP confusion as an example there ;-)

      Thanks a lot for the wonderful writing and help :)

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    2. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  10. Where have you been all my life? Just kidding... But seriously. I feel like this article and the one about caring for your INFJ are two of the most comprehensive, factual and legitimate guides written about our types. You have masterfully written out key elements that are so difficult to comprehend let alone vocalize and, at the same time, brought a sense of relief and validation to your INFJ readers. Thank you for the work you put into writing this.

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    1. aww. thank you very much! what a great compliment! :)

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    2. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  11. Also, Holy crap.
    Fitter. happier. More productive?
    My favourite band for the last 18 years. That was just the cherry on top for me. Thanks for the additional smile.

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    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  12. Haha! This is great, but #6!! I pictured my husband's face during one of my "moments" of trying to explain my thoughts. WTF are you talking about? Would accurately sum up his facial expressions!!

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    1. Hilarious (#6, Carmen)--spot on. I get that a lot too. God love you, Amy Miller. I needed this (I found it once a year ago, but needed it NOW, too)

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  13. Replies
    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  14. Thank you for writing this and capturing parts of our inner workings! I shared it on my page so my friends can get a glimpse into our complex world.

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    1. aww. i'm so glad you enjoyed it and found it resonant. i wrote this in part just so that my fellow INFJ will feel like they aren't alone and somebody understands. :)

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      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  15. Thank you so much, especially for that last paragraph! I'm going to make a graphic of that and put it on Pinterest, and look at it often, whenever I feel like everything I'm doing is for naught. So inspiring! :)

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      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  16. Haha how accurate all that is! I laughed so hard when I got to #4. I ended up marrying to an ENFP. =)

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  17. It is like meeting myself for the first time, because it is hard seeing yourself in the small glimpses we see of ourselves. Thank You. Explaining to people why you shutdown, when you don't have the answer is the hardest.

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  18. If only I've read #12 two weeks ago :'), thank you for posting this

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  19. Thank you for this. I especially needed the reminder to be quiet when I'm angry. I know I am capable of really doing some damage when I'm hurt. Anger is just a cover for hurt...

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  20. Thank you for this. I especially needed the reminder to be quiet when I'm angry. I know I am capable of really doing some damage when I'm hurt. Anger is just a cover for hurt...

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    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  21. I read this every time I feel sad or alone or misunderstood. It's so amazing because it feels like it's talking right to me, and it makes me feel like I am understood, which sometimes I really desperately need. So thank you :)

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  22. I needed to read this! Right on time. Thank you!!! INFJ here

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  23. Wow this is amazing you captured everything. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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  24. Definitely resonating! Numbers 10 and 11 really hit home because in both platonic and romantic relationships I've been in, I realise that the other person fell in love with me for my ability to make them feel good, not for who I am as a whole and after awhile that leads to trouble. I didn't know to be looking out for this and just believed them when they expressed the love. Some painful experiences there.

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  25. I'm sure you get this a lot, but I wish you were closer so I could use your services!

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  26. Thank you for going to the effort to wrangle all of that into words! What a gift of validation and understanding for those of us described by them.

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      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  27. This article is super accurate i got goosebumps!!! It's really hard to be an infj but i embrace my personality whole-heartedly. It also helps that people around me understand my mood swings and unique character.

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    1. This post is moving to its new home at www.patreon.com/amymiller

      Will you please consider joining us and becoming a patron to support the work? I'll be writing all kinds of things for INFJ and other types as well as general advice about relationships and communication.

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  28. This is brilliant. BRILLIANT. I am an INFJ, and I've studied Jungian psychology and the theory of functions for years - decades - but this is far and away the best and most thorough description of this type I've ever come across. SCARILY ACCURATE. I learned things about myself I did not realize were true . . . that is, how I come across to others. Much to ponder. The part about "You are so tender, and so tough, and so soft, and so hard, and so clean, and so messy, and so extraverted, and so introverted, and so warm, and so cold, and so brave, and so scared...all at the same time..." hit home the most. People see ONE of those polarities and not the other, and so I end up feeling "unseen" or invisible. Also the thing about being a total dork about my own inner workings was an eye-opener. I see that so clearly in my INFJ friends but never realized it about myself! Definitely going to be working on making ALL of me more accessible and also asking certain trusted friends for honest feedback more.

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  29. OMG, I am stunned at the accuracy each and every one of these tips (words to live by). This is so real and so spot on. It has taken me 56 years to learn that my "particular kind of crazy" or my "Magic" is a great gift and a fantastic super power. Thank you for your wonderful eye opening gift Miss Amy. I've got some work to do.
    Amazing!!!!

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    1. awww. you're welcome. i love that you're figuring all this out!

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  30. Why does our anger hurt/scare others so much? I have had people be much more threatening to me, (and, it could still be classified as "normal human anger behavior"), than I feel I have been to anybody else. So, after my upset disapates, I see fear in their eyes, though I did not threaten them, and any cussing was minimal. Mostly, I cry. I do not get this, and I feel others are allowed to be angry, but, not me, and that feels unfair. I, also, feel I am in control of my behavior, more so than the average person.

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    1. I have asked myself this question so many times: Why do other people get to be angry, but people react so negatively to my anger? I think it has to do with the fact that we say what we mean. Other people seem to exaggerate when they're angry, and say things that they know are not necessarily true in an effort to "win." Maybe unfiltered truth and righteous indignation is more than they can handle?
      If you ever find the answer, please report back to the tribe. :)

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  31. Best article I have ever read about being an INFJ. Thank you so much!

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  32. Omg this. So much. Thank you, the most accurate depiction of an infj I've ever read. The advice in here about our less than admirable qualities is spot on. Thank you.

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    1. you're welcome! :) so glad it resonated.

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  33. I've been in therapy for 15 years to find out what is wrong with me. Then I went to college for psychology to understand it. Then I got my masters to help others. While doing so, I took the MBTI and learned I was an INFJ. The initial explanation felt like an epiphany so I did more research, excited. The more I did, the more depressed I became, knowing I would never change or fit in. I took the test repeatedly, over the course of the next few years in different situations hoping to get different outcomes. Not even close. This article made me sob. Perhaps there is somewhere for me after all.

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  34. I have a few points to make, not really for any reason than they popped into my head as I was reading, and now I have to write them down, because... well, because.

    Point 1: I readily tell people within my intimate circle my feelings at any given time, where I clam up is when they look at me like I have two heads, because they don't understand why I think/feel that way, and the clamming up is the protective stance. Because if they don't understand my feelings/thoughts, they're gonna get a whole lot more confused by the thought process that led me to that point. I guess it's self-preservation; I don't want them thinking I'm a freak any more than they already do! I also take for granted sometimes that it's a really OBVIOUS thing, and surely they just know it already? I'm here to tell you that no, they do not already know that thing. I know, mind blown.

    Point 3: People interpret quietness as rudeness, I have learned. Or rather, an indication that I don't like them. It's not that, I'm just busy figuring them out, and I can't juggle talking and doing that at the same time. Which leads me into point 5, which I realised that this even extends to my partner, who thinks that my quietness when I'm figuring stuff out means I'm in a mood, or unapproachable. So I slap a smile on and still he is unconvinced. People are hard.

    Point 7 makes me intolerable, I think. Cos it takes me a while to get to the actual root of what's going on. So I'll say my thing, and my dude will reflect that back to me, and I'm like, er, no, it's not that, it's actually *this*, and he'll reflect that back, and round and round we go, until I've whittled down all possibilities to get to the actual issue. And by the end of the discussion, he's white as a sheet and looks like I've just performed a lobotomy on him. Bless his long-suffering cotton socks, I must drive him to the brink.

    Point 12 is next to impossible when the person I'm engaged with does not extend the same courtesy. Usually, when I can see that the argument has spiralled out of the realms of productivity, I'll retreat and wait until the person is more receptive to healthy discussion. But if someone spits venom in response to THEM hurting ME, I go all kinds of crazy in a flash, and immediately after the argument I regret everything I said. But I still find it really, really upsetting that people think it's okay to respond in anger and meanness with confronted because they did something hurtful. In the the words of Louis CK: "When a person tells you that you hurt them, you don't get to decide that you didn't."

    Point 13 causes so many problems in my personal life. Because I can feel many things at any given time, or my constant evaluation of things makes it seem like I turn on a sixpence, it's often perceived as dishonesty. Like I was lying when I said I felt a certain way. I wasn't, I just either felt multiple ways, or I've modified my stance based on receiving new information (and sometimes that new information isn't anything anyone said or did, but rather, that I've reflected more deeply on it). Ya feel me?

    Thanks for the great unriddling of my brain gunk.

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  35. I'm really bummed that the article has now moved and I cannot read the second half without paying money. I feel sort of tricked. As an INFJ I often feel alone and misunderstood, and was looking forward to finishing this article that so many have raved about.... only to find I'd have to enter my credit card information first. (When if has apparently been free for all those who previously read it.) Guess I was late to the party. I'm really disappointed :(

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  36. And to clarify, I can certainly understand deciding to charge for new articles moving forward, but to take a popular article that you were happy to share free of charge (solely for the benefit of helping people) for 2 years and then suddenly begin charging money to view the second half of the content... it just seems like a bait and switch. Especially given the target audience of rather sensitive INFJ's! But I digress. Sometimes altruistic decisions are merged with business decisions, I suppose. I'm just not comfortable entering credit card info on a random site- and so not having access to information that seemed to truly help others (who didn't have to pay), just bothered me.

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    1. I'm sorry you feel that way although I did LOL at "bait & switch" like I'm running some kind of big time scam...if I was, I'd hopefully be getting more than a couple dollars a month out of people.

      But, like you said: it's business and I'm super excited about the new blog. This post has been viewed over 90K times in the past 2 years, and clearly has resonated with a lot of people. I think my work is worth being paid for, because it's really good. (And, I don't work for free, as I assume you don't either.) The success of this post is exactly why I moved it to a pay site. People who want to read it and keep in touch with me will subscribe.

      Personally, if I came across a post I loved, was excited about, and really wanted to read/reread, I'd be **happy** to subscribe to the author's blog for $1 or $5 a month to support her in doing more of it.

      And, to address your concern, Patreon is a legit site that uses PayPal for billing. Your information is secure.

      Anyway, you're welcome to subscribe and read all the stuff I have posted (including this) and will post in the future. If you've had some time to move past your initial feelings about it, I'd be happy to have you. Either way, take care. Hope you find what you're looking for on these internets somewhere! :)

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