What I Love And Hate About Being An INFP
"Who am I?" - A question we constantly seek to answer.
If you follow me on Instagram(@adoredonnie), then you always see me posting quotes or articles about something called an INFP in my Instastory. Well, that is my MBTI(Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) personality. You may have taken a personality test before you started a new job or in college for class. It asks you questions about how you would feel about something or are you more likely to do this or that. For instance, one of the questions can be, "in a crowd, are you more likely to stand by a wall away from attention?" and you will answer yes, kinda, uncertain, not really, or no. It's better to not answer uncertain, but you can if you're really not sure. In the end, it will share your results and tell you your MBTI personality. This is how you will understand why you act and feel a certain way. You can learn more about how you are more likely to act in relationships, what careers best suit you, how you will be as a parent and etc.
16 personalities test which is a mix of both Jung Typology Test and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
This is the Jung Typology Test.
I've taken the test in college once, and I can't remember my exact results. However, I do remember being more introverted than extroverted and one of my classmates said, "really? I see you being more extroverted than introverted." I found that funny because yes, I can have a bubbly personality and find my way to the center of a crowd. But I love being alone and don't really try to draw attention to myself. I've taken a few tests and have gotten the same answer, INFP or INFP-T. We are also called the healers, the dreamers, or the idealists. We only makeup 4% of the population. INFP-T means, (I)ntroverted, i(N)tuitive, (F)eeling, (P)rospecting/Perceiving, and (T)urbulent. In short, I work better when I'm alone and it is my happy place(introverted). I can brainstorm and read between the lines and love exploring theories(intuitive). I lead with my heart and how I feel(feeling). I keep my options open, I don't easily conform to society's standards because there is an endless list of possibilities(prospecting). I'm constantly wanting to improve and I'm eager to learn new skills(turbulent).
Famous INFPs via Pinterest.
Black famous INFPs: Common, Nas, Kendrick Lamar.
Fictional INFPs via Pinterest.
Once I read more about my personality, I understood why I couldn't decide if I wanted to major in fine arts, graphic design, architecture, literature, photography, psychology. Why I love reading about philosophers and why I stay up reading about if aliens exist. How come I feel like I just don't fit in sometimes, and no one understands me. Why I can never finish projects or the reason why my bed is my best friend. Why I cry when a fictional character dies. How I can daydream for hours and just get carried away when I'm in nature. The list goes on, haha. After I was more familiar about my personality, I started to read about other personality types. That way I can get an idea of what someone else's personality is and understand them better. So, today, I'm sharing with you guys what I hate and love about my personality.
What I Hate
Socializing drains my energy. After a long night of socializing, I'm so eager to crawl into my bed. I love socializing but let's just say I can't host a party for hours. It literally soaks up all of my energy.
I suck at small talk. This means I can be shy at first because I don't want to come off as awkward. I simply suck at the whole, "how are you, it's a beautiful day, what do you do for work? etc, etc." I love getting past the small talk to deep conversations. So once we get to that point, you probably won't be able to shut me up.
My sister always says I can never complete a project. She would say, "why can't you just focus on one thing and finish that before you move on to something else?" Well, INFPs are known for doing this. Haha. It doesn't matter what I do, once I get a great idea it's on to the next big thing. I don't want the creative juices to cease flowing. However, striving to create these masterpieces has a big role to play as to why I never finish projects as well.
Perfectionism. Nothing hurts more than getting this beautiful idea and trying to bring it to life and it doesn't come out how you imagined it. This is why projects just don't get finished. I have recorded many videos and started many art pieces and I've never completed them. Mind you guys, I'm also a Virgo so it's hard not to strive for perfectionism. This is why I stop doing art, or whatever I'm working on at that moment, for a while because I can get so frustrated with myself that it becomes a huge problem.
Being misunderstood/feeling like an outcast. I feel like people never truly try to get to know me. Mainly because they already paint this idea of who Donnie is based on how I look or what they've heard. However, I'm actually a private person. I don't share many details about my life with just anyone(I only share what I want people to know). I've always been a listener because people would just talk over me or cut me off. So I no longer go through the trouble of trying to share how I feel or what's happening in my life because not many people actually care to even listen.
Resting bitch face. If you don't know what a resting bitch face is, it's basically a female that always has a serious look. I might have this problem because my brain is constantly moving. I'm either pondering an idea or seriously daydreaming. But I promise you there is nothing wrong!
Depression. This comes from not being understood, not achieving that perfectionism when it comes to my work, being so sensitive and feeling everything so deeply, being a mother. Three things I care about, my family, friends, and my craft. When there are issues with my family/friends or if I'm struggling to try to showcase my hard work or something just doesn't come out the way I wanted it. It hits hard, all those emotions hit me all at once. When I get into that rut and notice it, I shake the devil off and try to pick myself back up because it's not the end of the world. So, you'll notice that I take breaks from videos, from posting on my blog, and etc. I do this because my mental health is more important than pleasing people and acting like nothing is wrong.
via Pinterest.
What I Love
I love that my mind can easily travel beyond the galaxy. I love getting lost in new ideas and theories. I'm like Alice in Wonderland when it comes to my mind, haha. Tony always say I have a serious mind. He actually knows when I'm thinking because he will say, "what are you thinking about? You have that spaced out look on your face. I know those wheels are turning." I daydream so much that when I'm in the car with someone and I'm listening to music I will probably not talk much unless we're already having a conversation. I don't even need music playing, honestly. I enjoy riding in the passenger seat listening to the engine and feeling the wind on my face while staring out at the scenery. Which means I love being in nature. Its where I can easily let my mind wander freely, it soars through the trees with the wind, dancing with the leaves and making love with the birds.
I don't mind being alone. All I have to do is open up a book and dive into the pages. Or turn on Netflix and just get sucked into every season of whatever I am watching. Alone time is my fuel. Without it, I would probably go crazy. However, that doesn't mean I never want to be around people. I actually love to go out and spend time with people but only if it's positive vibes any negativity will have me running to my comfort zone.
That I don't force ideas onto others. Even though I might think strongly about something or come into conflict with someone. You won't see me arguing and trying to force my beliefs down someone's throat. I know everyone thinks and acts differently. That's why we are all unique. If I don't agree with someone I just try to understand the way they think or may feel that way. If the other person is bent on trying to seem like they're right and I'm wrong about my beliefs, I just let them think that and move on(unless they're being disrespectful). There's no point in talking to a brick wall aka the people that think they're always right and try to win every debate. I will literally say, "okay," and leave the discussion. I'm not a competitive person, I don't need to win every debate or just anything for that matter.
I empathize with others. I am a very sensitive person. If a dog dies in a movie, I'm crying! I can't help it, it's going to happen. I just have a tendency to feel deeply. If someone starts crying, more than likely I will start crying as well. In college, my friend cried because she almost couldn't get a snack out of the dorm's store since it was about to close. She was excited about getting the snack because we had munchies(if you know about munchies...then you know, haha). Come to find out, she didn't even have her card to purchase the item. Next thing you know, we're both crying from the fact she can't cure her munchies and laughing because we're crying over something so small. Thankfully, the cashier was nice enough to let my friend hurry and get her card so she can buy Froot Loops. Yes, we were crying over Froot Loops. By the way, I didn't have money on my card or I would have bought it for her, haha.
I stay true to myself. There have been plenty of times where someone would say they did not like my outfit, my hair, my ideas, and etc. If I absolutely love how something looks, then you won't see me changing it because someone else doesn't like it. If I feel strongly about something, I'm standing by it. Mainly because it's based off how I feel and what I think is right. Not because this is what society thinks and everyone else believes it and/or are doing it.
You'll always find me being creative. The most famous INFPs are painters, authors, poets, designers. I've always loved art. I'm the kid that would ask for art supplies for my birthday or for Christmas. I remember going off the college and I couldn't even make up my mind on what to major in. "Do I want to major in fine arts, fashion design, graphic design, photography, architecture??" I settled for graphic design because I felt like I already knew a little bit about designing graphics since I played around with Gimp and Photoshop in middle and high school. I also wrote songs and short stories as a little kid. I remember writing a story and reading it to my neighbors, haha. In middle school, my friend and I actually started writing a book. In high school, I got my first camera, it was a Canon PowerShot. Let's just say that's when my love for taking pictures and recording videos started. So no matter what, I will always love any genre of art and find a way to experience and create each form.
via Pinterest
If you haven't taken a personality test, I highly recommend you do. Especially if you want to better understand who you are as a person or others around you. I asked Tony to take the test, he is an ENTJ-A. I already knew he would be extroverted, thinking, and assertive for sure. This explains why he is great at leadership and managing people. After I found out I was an INFP-T, I came across another personality test called the Enneagram test. It has 9 different types of personalities. On that spectrum, I am type 4 which agrees with me being an INFP. If you can't tell already I really enjoy reading and learning about personality typology tests, haha. Also, keep in mind that all INFPs are not the same, you might encounter an INFP that is slightly different from me. If you already know your personality type then feel free to share what you love and hate about it in the comment section. Thanks for reading and ta-ta for now!