INFJs aren't the only personality type to experience burnout at work — but it's certainly a very common experience for us, given our nature.
(What's your personality type? Take a free personality assessment.) INFJs aren't the only personality type to suffer from emotional burnout and exhaustion, but it's a common problem that almost all INFJs experience at some point in their lives. That's because we have several personality traits that make us prone to it.
Being the ambitious problem-solver that most INFJs are, next steps are not optional; they are mandatory. This means more time spent doing for others and less time giving to ourselves. Eventually, this drains our internal reserves, and we're left feeling frazzled, on edge, and burned out.
INFJs are sensitive souls who are easily overwhelmed, but they have their limits. If they feel stressed by their environment, or the people in it, they'll tend to cry or become very quiet and want to be alone. Some INFJs will be cold, sarcastic and very blunt or speak to someone only on a very superficial level.
When INFJs are under a lot of stress, they can fall into the grip of their inferior function, Extraverted Sensing, which makes the INFJ unable to think about their normal visionary ideas, be creative, or help others with their characteristic empathy.
Perhaps the most telling sign of burnout is a dwindling passion for your job, or doubt about whether this is the job for you. When you have become entirely spent, the amount of energy you can dedicate to your job starts to dwindle. When INFJs can't give their 100 percent, we start second-guessing our decisions.
Because of how INFJs deal with past pain, they're likely to have similar reactions to trauma. These include: Avoiding people, places, or things that remind them of the trauma. Experiencing fear and anxiety about the outside world.
The unhealthy INFJ tends to feel resentful of other people. Because of their auxiliary extraverted feeling, they feel pulled towards making others happy, but they see this as a distraction from their vision. They can become bitter towards the people they help, and they become easily overwhelmed when dealing with them.
Of course, not all INFJs are depressed, and INFJs are certainly not the only Myers-Briggs personality types to struggle with depression. However, due to our sensitive nature, as well as our unique way of seeing the world, it's not uncommon for us INFJs to deal with depression at some point in our lives.
INFJs often lock out their emotions when they're upset. These often try to process their thoughts before reacting, which is why they might keep quiet or shut people out when aggrieved. The last thing they'd want to do is to react without consideration.
The INFJ feels like the friendship is one-sided.
If they feel like they're always the ones giving and never the ones receiving, they may cut off a relationship so they can allocate their emotional investment into a better, healthier relationship. When relationships start to feel one-sided, INFJs tend to pull away.
INFJs are extremely observant, and it's easy for us to see all the many ways in which we don't fit in with the groups around us. What is much more confusing though, is why we don't fit in. This leads most INFJ personality types to feel alone, misunderstood, rejected, or weird (and not in a good way).
Usually, they will get more withdrawn and stuck in their head when they're angry. They might try to shut off noise, lights, or find a room they can hide away in to deal with their thoughts and charged emotions. Some INFJs shut down and stop talking and reacting, trying to sort out their thoughts inside.
INFJs are energized by working creatively towards a future vision or goal. In turn, they are drained by being in noisy, disorganized environments where they face frequent interruptions to their thoughts and musings. It's especially bad if they are in an environment where there is frequent conflict.
In some cases, you can't avoid people or completely ignore them. In times like that, an INFJ may talk to the person, but they'll be emotionless, distant and cold. Even the nicest people can't stand everything. Dealing with such a contradicting personality may be exhausting and maddening.
9. You cry easily. This one is especially problematic, as it often happens at very inopportune or embarrassing moments. Like all Feeling types, INFJs are prone to random tears.
Crowds, noise, frequent interruptions - INFJs need their personal space and may experience great anxiety if they have too much contact with people in one day. Faced with such provocations, there's a risk that you will spread yourself so thin responding to other people's problems that you neglect your own needs.
They appreciate intellectual stimulation and are always looking for ways to learn and understand complex ideas as this sparks joy in them. INFJs are most often happiest when they feel they are making progress towards their personal and professional goals.
Women with the INFJ personality type
INFJ Females tend to be reserved, empathetic people. They are likely to value healthy structure and stability, while tending to remain open to new ideas and solutions. They often have a natural desire to help others and make moral choices.
The most difficult part of having this personality is the chronic, never-ending feeling of solitude and loneliness. It is partially self sabotaged and created, but also so intrinsically part of us that to separate this part of ourselves would mean we would not be who we are.
Or, individuals with INFJ and INTJ personality are said to believe that everything in the universe is interconnected. With such outlooks, they are more likely to develop an addiction to magic mushrooms.
INFJ children are often very shy and sensitive to new people. They very much want to have a close friend or two, but usually have a hard time breaking into social settings. They are naturally very private children, but at the same time, they strongly desire to be liked.
When I surveyed INFJs about their flirting styles, more than anything, they expressed a deep desire to connect emotionally with someone they liked. They will be more emotionally open, express more of their deeper longings, and become more vulnerable with you if they like you.
Abandonment
INFJs are notorious for having a difficult time trusting others. They read between the lines so fluently and look for hidden meanings so frequently that they take everything with a grain of salt, almost without realizing it.