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infp Companion

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Mystic Poets and Beautiful Dreamers - the infp odyssey

This page is devoted to the infp's of the world, the mystic poets and beautiful dreamers who walk the path of the heart.

Only about 1% of the world's population share this rare personality type that is both a blessing and a curse. We are few in number, but we keep the world turning with our art, our words, and our hearts.

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Are you an INFP?

Are you a tree hugger? And do trees hug you back?

If so - Ah Hah! - you're probably an infp. Find out for sure with these personality type tests.

Myers Briggs Personality Test MBTI Personality Types
A free online personality quiz or test to introduce MBTI Myers Briggs concepts of personality type and cognitive style. Links are provided to many informative articles on the MBTI and Myers Briggs Personality Types. (Free test at bottom of page.)
Keirsey.com
Personality Test using the official Keirsey Temperament Sorter.
Free Jung Personality Test
Takes you right to the test.

Understand Your infp Personality

Finally understand (and learn to appreciate) your vast and complicated inner world.

E Buie -> INFP Musings
Elizabeth Buie's musings about why "official" INFP profiles sometimes get us wrong.
E. Buie -> INFP Profile
This profile was created by the INFP mailing list and is a much truer representation of who we are than most other profiles.
Portrait of an INFP
A short description of the INFP personality type.
INFP Profile
Description of the infp personality with inspiring lists of fictional and real life infps.
The Portrait of a Healer Idealist
INFP portrait from Keirsey.com.
INFP - Wikipedia
Wikipedia's INFP page. Lots of interesting links to explore.
INFP- Introverted Intuition with Feeling
Wonderful descriptions of INFPs in each area of their lives.
Confessions of an Introverted Traveler
Introverts travel for the pleasure of experiencing new things and not to meet new people. Extroverts need to get over it.
INFP Profile by Sandra Krebs Hirsch and Jean Kummerow - tribe.net
Very thorough profile written by and for infp's
Ti and Fi Differences | Type Insights
I notice a couple of terms seem to come up frequently that get interpreted in a myriad of ways depending on a person's preferences.
Global and Sequential learning tasks AKA Why can't I drive? - PersonalityCafe
Global and Sequential learning tasks AKA Why can't I drive?
[PDF] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator General Profile
Thorough description of the infp personality and our modus operandi in career, home, midlife, courting, sex, interpersonal, social, and domestic situations.
PersonalityDesk - Learning Center - INFP in Careers, Relationships, Leadership, Parenting
INFPs are creative idealists, guided by their own core values and beliefs. They enjoy being engaged in work that they find personally meaningful.
INFP Personal Growth
How to develop our strengths and understand our weaknesses.
The INFP and UNrequited Love
The phenomenon of unrequited love in the lives of infps.
Coaxing Back the Spirit of Your Introverted Child
Excellent overview of how introverts suffer, from childhood through adulthood, from never having their world view validated. There are many great insights in this article for adults too.
MBTI Myth Busting - Thinking is not Superior to Feeling
Thinking and Feeling are both rational functions used for judgment. Both follow the laws of reason and function to evaluate the constant flow of perceptions.
Myers Briggs - the Dynamic Model
This page describes the 'dynamics of type' for the Myers Briggs model of personality. (Or what those letters mean and how they influence each other.) This is a confusing concept at first, but it's worth while to understand in the long run. Bring a pencil and paper because there are diagrams to draw! :)
Myers Briggs - the Dynamic Model Slide Show
If your mind is still reeling from trying to understand "type dynamics" and "mental muscles" from the article in the link above, or if you'd just rather skip all that reading, here it is in slide show form. And don't feel bad if your brain wants to watch cartoons after trying to to understand what those letters really mean. Here's a quote from the site that might make you feel better: "This complexity behind the Myers Briggs code is too hard even for many MBTI practitioners."
A Dreamer's Life, The INFP Personality Type
Short article with very good insights into the infp personality. Look at the comments to find an excellent guide to living happily with an infp.
Marrying for the INFP
An INFP describes her life with her INTP mate with detail and insight. I'm married to an INTP and I recognized both of us in this article, and it felt very good to read about the same wonderful matches and odd mismatches that I've experienced with my own husband.

infp Forums, Groups, and Mailing Lists

Meet others just like yourself, and be amazed at how unlike you they actually are. :)

INFP | Facebook
A large group with lots of active discussions.
INFPs Only Mailing List
Active Healer Idealist discussion.
infp-general · INFP General eGroup list
General mailing group list for infp's and those who love them.
INFP Forum - The Idealists - PersonalityCafe
Very busy INFP Forum - The Idealists - Official forum for the INFP personality type. Introverted Feeling with Extraverted Intuition Forum
INFP personalities - tribe.net
Tribe Forum - Life as an INFP - Introvert, iNtuitive, Feeler, Perceiver.
The Commune - Typology Central
Two forums for INFPs: The NF Idyllic and The NF Private Forum
infpverse
A place for INFPs and associates.
I Am An Infp | Group with Personal Stories, Forums and Chat
Anonymously connect with people who share your experiences-- like those who say 'I Am An Infp'
StumbleUpon INFP Group
Not very active but some interesting questions and observations about being an INFP.
The INFP Discussion List
The INFP list was founded in November 1993. The list membership has grown over the years, and there are now over three hundred subscribers.
INFP
INFPs ONLY! The original INFP group.

Squidoo Resources for INFPs

There are quite a few very good lens here at Squidoo that can be helpful to INFPs. I'm choosing them based on their usefulness to our personality type and I'll work to include a wide range of subjects.
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Helpful Books For The infp

It's not easy being extremely sensitive in this world. Here are a few books that might help ease your way.

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The Flip Side (The infp's evil twin.)

When INFP's are under stress, sometimes we switch to our least developed functions and use them poorly. In the grip of a "flip" or "shadow" experience, we tend to be judgmental, demanding, obsessive, and controlling. We might not be able to avoid flipping but recognizing the feeling helps control damage.

[PDF] Personality Type and Stress
CAPT handout provides useful clues to how executives of different MBTI personality types respond to stress and how that stress can be minimized. Download this PDF for free, but only for personal use.
INFP
A snapshot graph of the infp's shadow side.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) INFP [PDF]
Page 7 includes some information about INFPs and stress including when INFPs experience stress, what they will often do when under stress, and how they can reduce stress.

Mind Map Of An INFP Flip

INFP Flip Mind MapThis is a mind map made during and after one of my own flips. My very judgmental and demanding thoughts are on the right side of the map, and to the left are my thoughts as I come back into myself.

A few of you wanted to know a more about this map, so here are more of my thoughts about it. This map shows my flip or shadow experience as I experienced it. I'm sure your experiences are different, and that's okay because INFPs are beautifully original in all they do.

I'm not an expert on flips, but I think that word describes the feeling of slipping into one very well. In my body, a flip feels as if my energy collapses back into myself and my emotional "feelers" become focused on me alone.

The map represents my own experience when I'm thrown off-balance, out of phase, out of sync, in a nasty mood, in a flip, or whatever you want to call it.

As for reading the map, you have to step back a bit and take it in visually. Then again, maybe it only makes sense to me. (Wouldn't be the first time.)

Anyway, do you see how the lines are disorganized and squiggly on the right side? Then, as you look around the map like you would read numbers on a clock, you see that the lines start to form into leaves or petal shapes.

So, the right side represents how I feel in the depths of a flip experience; disorganized, critical, and connecting angry thoughts, bad memories, and suspicions in a scattered way. The petals and leaves that come together on the left side represent how I feel as my thoughts come back into my smooth running INFP-ness. My thoughts are more organized, bad memories shrink back into proportion, and my feelings and intuition are back online.

The long connecting medium-violet lines are not anything special. They just point to associations I made during the experience.

Don't read too much into the words on the map. I just typed what ran through my mind at the time and they probably won't make much sense to you.

I shaped the lines to represent how it felt after the mind map was written and I'd returned to myself.

The green arrows in the middle represent a flip, and nothing more.

Sorry about not posting a longer explanation of the map in the first place. I moved on to my next idea a little too quickly and left this one dangling. :) (Another INFP thing.)

INFP Stress Management

Managing stress helps you feel centered and less vulnerable.

Sample Copy of the Comfort Zone Newsletter by Elaine Aron [PDF]
Elaine Aron is the author of The Highly Sensitive Person. This pdf is a sample of her earilier and larger newsletters. I'm including it here because there are several great articles in it that apply to INFPs, and self knowledge is empowering and soothes anxieties about our "rightness" or "wrongness."
Comfort Zone Newsletter Archive
All editions of Elaine Aron's newsletter.
Four Stress-Busting Moves
Learn four ways to defuse stress through exercise.
Diet for Stress Management Slideshow: Carbs, Nuts, and Other Stress-Relief Foods
Seventeen stress-fighting foods.
Desensitizing Your Fight or Flight Response
Creating a Sense of Safety in Your Life By Changing the Meaning of Your Experiences.
Cycle of Anxiety
Very accurate concept map of the cycle of anxiety by Lynn Martin, a nationally certified Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety & mood disorders.
Maladaptive Cycle of Symptoms
Very accurate visual map of a maladaptive (avoidance) cycle of anxiety symptoms, again by Lynn Martin. (See link above.)
Classic Distorted (Anxiety Creating) Thoughts
Once again by Lynn Martin. (See above.) Reading through this list helps me spot the distorted thought that's causing my anxiety so I can deal with it.
CBT - Method of Cognitive Restructuring and of Behavioral/Emotional Change Worksheet
And here's how to deal with those distorted thoughts you'll find in the link above, also by Lynn Martin. CBT is a great "rational" system of finding the thought that's making you anxious and then dealing with it directly. I use it in addition to meditation to keep my anxiety level below the "scream and shout" phase. And I think it feels good to use my "rational thinking" side as a balance to my "follow my heart" side. :)
Anxiety Resources for INFPs
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and here are some links to advice that helped me learn how to cope with it.

Squidoo Zen - Creatives & Business

Business ideas for creatives from an INFP.

Squidoo Zen - Online Business Ideas For The Non-Business-yI've been using different online business models for over ten years while maintaining my own artist's website. In that time, some of my business experiments were failures, some of them were kinda successful, and a couple of them were pretty darned nice successes. In other words, I have range. :)

Anyway, I created a lens about what I've learned and how to use Squidoo to take your own first steps in a biz direction. Now, I must tell you that before I posted a link to it here, hardly anyone visited this lens, and when they did they didn't stay long, and then they never came back. I felt pretty bad about that until I realized I did put the lens together from my INFP point of view and that most people probably found it a too laid back, too non-competitive, a little on the woo-woo-ish side, and too infp-ish for their tastes.

Nevertheless, the things I write about on the lens work for me as a laid back, non-competitive, woo woo-ish, infp. I hope they work for you too. At the very least, I hope the lens sparks your own creative business ideas into life.

Here it is:


Squidoo Zen

Time Management And Organization For INFPs

Are you looking for a time management system that helps organize your many projects and yet is flexible enough to not make you throw it at a wall? So am I. Here's what I've found so far.

Autofocus Index - Get Everything Done
This is the system I currently use. It has limitations but allows for great flexibility, which is a must for me. It's simple and intuitive, but engages your rational mind too, which is a good balance for my "do everything by intuition" inclination. (Which gets me off the path I want to be on sometimes.)
Templates | D*I*Y Planner
Many free printable templates for managing projects and time. The time management system this site is built around, The Middle Way, is involved and structured. If it doesn't work for you though, you may be able to use some of these templates for your own system.
Wholehearted Living - Get Everything Done
Do your time management schemes, prioritizing strategies, and goals seem a little fuzzy? Ask your heart first. Excellent advice on using your feelings as a guide in all things.
Mind Mapping My Way Through Life
This is my own lens about the mind mapping software I use. I use mind maps because I don't think straight. That is, I don't think linearly in neat little rows and columns. And that, as you know, is totally INFP. Hope this lens helps you learn one more way to keep track of all your ideas.

infp Bloggers

INFP writers are excellent at their craft, and their insight on living life as an infp is enlightening.

Speaking INFP << infp Blog
serving as an abject lesson to INFPs everywhere
WordRidden
Jessica Spengler's blog. Her blog has been online since 1999 and she is, of course, an INFP.
Confessions of an Introverted Traveler - Features - World Hum
We introverts have a different style of travel, and I?m tired of hiding it. Sophia Dembling reveals her travel secret.
Surviving INFP
One infp trying to survive this world.
Fragments of my thoughts
Wonderful writing by a bona fide infp.
Look Far | The Art Of Self Awareness
INPFs lose their way a lot. In relationships, in our emotions, and in life goals, we lose track of where we are and where we want to go. This blog, by fellow INFP Amanda Linehan, focuses on helping us find our way back, or learning to appreciate the new place we find ourselves in.
If Narky, Feed Profusely
"Brain dump" of another lovely infp feeling her way through life. Excellently written, of course.
DefragmentMe
This quote from her site says it all: "She feels her thoughts are severely fragmented - hence the need to defragment, and hopes that somehow, some way, with a touch of serendipity, the blog would benefit some souls, just like how she was inspired by the words of many before."

INFP Artists And The Ever-Questioning Muse

TubersINFP artists are "Artists" with a capital "A," in quotes, and italicized. In our typical intuitive knowing style, we fling ourselves into artist-hood and embrace it as a lifestyle because we know it's right for us. The medium, the message, and technical skill come later, and that leaves you unsure of your abilities. And even after you do feel competent, the questions continue.

Seeing other personality type artists so focused and sure of themselves compelled me to question my basic style, my choices, and the core of who I am. But INFPs are born to question everything, and particularly themselves. This unease about life's purpose isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's always a huge source of frustration if it's not handled with compassion.

I believe that constant self-questioning is part of my Muse's style of creation, and I can't have one without the other, so I invite this part of my Muse to the party too. (If I don't, she just hangs around the door feeling angry and tripping new ideas as they try to come in.) I roll that inquisitive energy into my art and shape the work by answering its inquires into meaning and direction. Sometimes this works well. Other times ... eh ... not so much. Hey, I'm an INFP. No solution ever works 100% of the time because there's always another question standing by ready to upset any illusion of stability I develop.

Let's face it, this INFP stuff is hard work. Below are a few resources that might help you co-create in peace with your ever present and questioning Muse.

INFP Artists And Their Muses Make Nice

Do you and your Muse need couples therapy? These links might help, and good luck.

Identifying and caring for your muse
Questions that will help you develop your relationship with your Muse.
Demon Muse | Embrace your inner genius
Demon Muse is a blog about the unconscious mind, the muse, daimon, or genius, and its role in artistic creativity. It's about learning to tap into this inner resource and letting it guide creative work.
Letting Your Personal Genius Loose
Explores what personal genius (The Muse) is with probing questions to help you zero in on your own.
Genuine Coaching Services
Roadblocks to Creativity, a free e-course for artists.

From An infp Artist

by a card carrying infp and the author of this lens.

A lot of people think of artists as a group with many, if not most, personality traits in common. I thought the same thing for a long time and was disappointed when I couldn't seem to connect on deeper levels with other artists.

When I was young, I thought I was different because I was an "artist." Once I discovered my infp personality type score though, I realized I'm not like most other artists either. On the Myers-Briggs personality index scale, I score very highly as an infp. That means I am introverted and intuitive. By far, most of the people in the world are extroverted. And that goes for artists too.

The world seems to be made for extroverts and that creates problems for us. For instance, if you have a problem and ask for guidance, you're probably going to be given advice that works for extroverts but not for you. I've found that to be true in all areas, but especially concerning art.

Recently, I read an article about how to market artwork. The author advised all artists to make the kind of art that people want to buy rather than the kind the artists really wanted to make. I'm sure many artists could do that, but I can't. My creative well runs dry when the reason I'm making the art is just to sell it. Don't get me wrong, I think money is a good thing. However, I can't let my desire for money guide how I make my art. Instead, I find creative ways to sell the art I love to make.

If you're an infp artist, or other adventurer, you're not without guidance. But you have to discover it yourself.

You are self-contained and made this way for a reason: No one else has ever been where you're going, so no one can give you specific directions. As one infp artist to another though, I can give you a clue. Intuition is your ship, and your feelings and ideals are the map and crew.

Bon voyage!

INFP Artist Mind Map

This mind map represents my infp creative flow when making art.

infp artist mind map

Insightful Articles and Websites With infp Relevance

Not specifically about living life as an INFP, but helpful in understanding who you are.

Empathic Perspectives: Empaths: Hypersensitivity, Anxiety, & Coping
I think most INFPs are empaths. These articles will help you understand what that means to who you are.
Mystical Brain
The video Mystical Brain reveals the exploratory work of a team from the University of Montreal who seek to understand the states of grace experienced by mystics and those who meditate.
EliseLebeau.com
Are you an Empath? Learn how to fine tune your Empath Skills. The Empath Survival Program on this site is excellent.
The Empath Community
Provides sensitivity, support and compassion to empaths and anyone who thinks they might be.
Confessions of an Introverted Traveler
Introverts travel for the pleasure of experiencing new things and not to meet new people. Extroverts need to get over it.
Are You a Scanner?
Do thse statements sound familiar?
"I can never stick to anything.""I know I should focus on one thing, but which one?""I lose interest in things I thought would interest me forever.""I keep going off on another tangent."
Changing minds and persuasion -- How we change what others think, believe, feel and do
Geared toward showing you "the inner secrets of persuasion and changing other people," but you can find out a lot about yourself here too.
Personality Plus in Business
Information, MBTI based tips, artistic interpretations, and provocative ideas to inspire how you approach your work and business relationships
Why Introverts Can Make The Best Leaders - Forbes.com
They draw on important strengths that extroverts may not have.
Self-Marketing for Introverts
Self marketing for Introverted solopreneurs - insights and direction for designing your business model to get work in a way that suits your preferences.
23 Intuition Exercises
Develop your knowledge of healing intuition, chakras, dreams, divination, past lives, and shamanism. Use these (mostly) brief exercises to find the natural way your intuition speaks to you, and use them as a jumping-in point for more study.
Field Guide to the Loner: The Real Insiders
Alone but not lonely? Contrary to what the extroverts in your life tell you, time alone is absolutely essential for happiness if you're an introvert.
The inside scoop on your introvert friends
Have your extrovert friends read this and they'll begin to understand why you don't like to talk on the phone, among other things.
Caring for Your Introvert
The habits and needs of a little-understood group. Excellent insights on what introverts need and why. (Particularly, we'd like extroverts to please shut-up.)
Tao of Prosperity · Align Your Business With Your Joy
A successfully self-employed woman (who I suspect is an INFP) encourages readers to follow feelings and inspiration when building their businesses, instead of rigid time management or the goal setting that uber-aggressive business-blog gurus recommend.

Insightful Blogs With infp Relevance

Bloggers who feel as though they write from an INFP perspective.

HSP Notes

A Blog written by a Highly Sensitive Person.

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The Introvert's Corner

How to live a quiet life in a noisy world

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Imagine That!

Annals of Ordinary and Extraordinary Genius

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Talent Development Resources

Talent Development Resources %u2013 the psychology of creativity, personal growth, gifted/talented adults

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Kingdom of Introversion

The World according to the "introvert" and the "nerd"

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Highly Sensitive

Personal dimensions of the trait of high sensitivity - plus some material on shyness and introversion.

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Self-promotion For Introverts

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What the Blogosphere is saying about INFPs

The latest from Google Blog Search.

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Briggs Myers Personality Type Books

Excellent resources for living as an infp.

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Comments and Discussion

Are you and infp or do you love one? Have any infp vs the world memories to share? I'd love to hear them.

  • crosinski Jan 11, 2011 @ 5:48 pm | delete
    I suspect having well developed intuition and emotion are a couple of things empaths and inf-fill-in-the-blanks have in common.

    I don't know if I have any empathic ability, but it doesn't take much for me to pick up on anyone's current emotion or mental state, including strangers, animals, and occasionally even trees!

    I'd love to see some research or polling done on this subject too.
  • empathzone Dec 30, 2010 @ 8:55 am | delete
    You did a very nice work over here, thanks for taking the time to do it. :)
    We run the test in our community and most are INFJ (Counselor), we have 2 Teachers, and one Healer... but mostly counselors. I wonder if there is a connection between the personality types and empathy. That would be interesting. :)
  • mrshannigan Jun 15, 2010 @ 8:43 pm | delete
    How common is it to take the MB & get different results? A few years ago, I tested as ESTP but a few months ago I retook it, having sensed a major shift in my own personality, and got INFP.
  • crosinski Jul 17, 2010 @ 3:51 am | delete
    Hi mrshannigan - I'm not an expert on personality type. I'm just extremely interested in it because knowing about type has helped me understand myself and others. So I can't answer your question with any authority, but I've seen my own results change a little as I've gotten older though. Here's a FAQ from knowyourtype.com that covers this question well. http://www.knowyourtype.com/faq.html
  • AddaptAbilities May 22, 2010 @ 2:32 pm | delete
    I'm an INTP (with a lot of "F" -- I'm an artist) so I've also got one of the rare personality types. I'm lensrolling this to my "best jobs for introverts" lens. Good work!
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Back To Top | Your Own Island

Your Own Island

A quiet infp retreat.The world is loud, bright, crowded, noisy, and hard to take for very long periods of time. People who love being with other people, those with the philosophy of "the more the merrier," talk about drawing energy from others, and I'm sure they do. I just wish they wouldn't siphon off mine. I need every ounce to make a break for it and get the heck outta there.

I've been practicing meditation for a few years now and I thought it would help me stay calm and centered in these situations, and it does for a few minutes if I concentrate very hard and sort of make myself a self-contained island. But the waves of "crowd energy," aimless, uncontainable, and excruciatingly loud, finally rush over me and I have to retreat to some quiet spot.

This page of the INFP Companion holds stories of how INFP's cope, and how they fail to cope, in a culture that expects you to be just like them.

INFP Memories

Round pegs in square holes.

INFP and non-INFPWe live in a society of rule followers, and as an INFP I've always wondered why rules mattered so much. My round peg personality was thoroughly hammered into a square hole very early in life though, and I learned to follow the rules, even when they were obviously out of date or ridiculous, to avoid drawing attention to myself.

Fortunately, the square hole indoctrination poundings didn't take, and I sprang back into my original round peggedness after a few years on my own. But there were scars. Forced to work, play, and live for the first 18 years of life in a way contrary to how I needed to do these things left wounds that healed poorly. At age 56, I'm still working on healing a few of the deepest.

I'm going to air out a few of my own round-peg-square-hole memories, because I feel that it's time to do that, and I 'd like to hear about your infp memories too if you feel it's time to share. You can do that in the discussion area below. (Consider it a public service to other infps who are still struggling to fit in and suspect they never will.)

Too Many Rules!

My first infp vs the world memory.

Mums and MemoriesBy the end of the first grade, I knew the way I preferred to do things was totally wrong, and I remember the exact moment I knew too. Mrs. Applegate, my first grade teacher, asked the class to move our chairs to another part of the classroom, and as we started to grab, scoot, drag, and bang them over to the spot she said, "Everyone! This is the way proper girls and boys carry their chairs." And then she showed us how. I remember thinking that I was never going to catch on if there was even a rule for carrying chairs!

I told my mother about this odd chair carrying rule when I came home that day and she said she'd never heard that rule before but it seemed like a good one to her.

I was defeated. It seemed as if I was the only person in the world who felt that a rule for carrying chairs went beyond the pale. Well, not in those exact terms because I was only 6 years old, but I felt there was something very wrong about the situation and no one else seemed to feel that.

Then I generated the worst blow of all and aimed it squarely at myself: I felt ashamed of who I was because I thought I was missing a piece. Everyone else seemed to already know the rules and never questioned them. They eagerly embraced any new one that popped up no matter how bizarre it was. And I just did not get it.

I still struggle with shame. On days when I'm very anxious, I know the old ghost of "I'm bad because I'm missing a piece" is running strong under the surface again. Over the years I've learned to meditate, center, and act from my feelings rather than react to the old programming still stuck in my system, but it's still a struggle that requires a lot of my time and energy. It probably always will.

INFPs and Anxiety Disorders

I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It's a nasty anxiety disorder that makes your life miserable, and I think INFP's are more likely to have anxiety problems than some other personality types.

We are super sensitive after all, and our emotional antennae are always on. That's bound to lead to anxiety problems at some point. And if your life is relatively anxiety free, thank goodness and keep on doing what ever it is you're doing to cope.

For the past few months, I've been working very hard to learn how to manage my anxiety with meditation, and I've had success. When I started working with meditation, I was desperate and just wanted the anxiety to go away and never come back, but meditation that taught me how to cope with anxiety while living the life I wanted to anyway. I gratefully accepted that level of relief but, in an odd psychological twist, as soon as I learned to tolerate my anxiety, it subsided completely.

The anxiety didn't go away for good. It still surfaces when I'm stressed, don't get enough sleep and exercise, or work too hard on a project, but now I use it as an early warning system and take care of myself instead of wrestling with myself.

These resources were and still are extremely helpful to me.

Websites
The Anxiety Trick
Free Help For Anxiety Audios
Mindfulness and Psychotherapy Blog by Elisha Goldstein Ph.D.
Free Meditation Course - Audio Dowload

Free meditation Podcasts
Zencast
Meditation Oasis

Book
Meditations to Change Your Brain by Rick Hanson (Amazon has the book and audio on cd & Sounds True has it as an audio book download.)

Mp3
Meditations for Happiness by Rick Hanson (Sounds True has this as a download.)

To The Non-INFPs Out There: A Few Words About How To Understand Us

INFPs are not from an alternate reality.

I know we INFPs seem like misty eyed new age woo-woos to most of you, and you may think that's charming or it might drive you nuts. In any case, here a few insights that might help you better understand the INFP in your life. Our feelings and intuition are our strongest assets. We navigate through life with our hearts wide open, feeling and intuiting our way along.

Since you're not an INFP, I'm sure this process sounds non-rational and nutty but it's not. It's a non-linear but rational way of thinking that uses emotions, predictions, and relationships to find the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

We go big though. We deal with the big picture, the big Kahuna, the flow of life and our place in it. Guidance comes to us through intuition, which makes us seem dreamy and even prescient sometimes. In fact, if we've gathered in enough solid information and put it together correctly, we can make very good predictions. It's simply the outcome of working with the kind of things we pay attention to though, and not magic. (Well, maybe it's just a tad magical.)

Don't worry. We're not going to use our super powers to take over the world. We're most likely to use our gifts to make art, poems, music, and all kinds of never-before-seen creations.

If we like you, you're included in our range and you'll feel loved, protected, and heard. If we don't like you, you'll be cut out of the equation completely. (And you should probably just go away because it usually takes a major violation of our most heart felt values to make us want push you out of our lives.) (And there's likely nothing you can do to get back in.)

So, there you go. Show us your kindness, let us be who we are, and you're on the receiving end of some lovely stuff. Piss us off, and you're outta' here.

(I didn't try to cover everything. Just the high-points of what I sense are the hardest things to understand about us. Hope it helps.)

Unsorted infp Links

Hot off the griddle, unreiewed, unsorted, maybe good, maybe not so good infp links.

site map - Talent Development Resources
Talent Development Resources site map - index by topics Information
&
inspiration to enhance creative expression and personal development Self-actualization topics & site
pages related to
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy
of Needs Tag cloud of selected articles &
blog posts ......site au
DANA Foundation
New for and about arts education, art educators, and teaching artists.
cybette's blog: INFP = ADD = Depression?
Currently offline. Holding here to see if it comes back.
Myers-Briggs MBTI Personality Types, Famous People and the Myers Briggs
Myers-Briggs personality type profiles, including hundreds of examples of famous people and fictional characters. Myers-Briggs related information on careers, relationships, personal growth and more.
HumanMetrics.com
HumanMetrics is an online tests
provider focused on personality, relationships, and entrepreneurship
testing
Inferior Functions and Stress (Quenk)
The Inferior Function Under Stress Type
David DeVaughn helps an INFP introvert who "hates" people!
Advice on MBTI typing for introverts from David DeVaughn
Coaching Stress and Communication Style
High Performing Systems is a recognized leader in selecting and developing best-fit leaders and building high performing teams at all organizational Levels.
MBTI Career Choice, Career Development
An article illustrating how the MBTI and Myers Briggs Personality Type can be used in Career Choice and Career Development.
Diet for Stress Management Slideshow: Carbs, Nuts, and Other Stress-Relief Foods
While there are many ways to cope with stress, one strategy is to eat stress-fighting foods. WebMD shows you which foods to eat as part of a stress management diet.
Deeper Perception Made Practical
HomeWebsiteBooksSessionsContact Rose Rosetree    Categories Aura Reading Research Default Empath Empowerment Become a Skilled Empath Empath Merge energetic literacy Healing Aura Healing and Transformation Cut Cords of Attachment Energy Spirituality, Emotional and Spiritual Healing Hy
Jenna Avery on The Art of Sensitive Living ? Musings on the art of happy, healthy, & highly sensitive living...
Musings on the art of happy, healthy, & highly sensitive living...
Highly Sensitive Coaching for Highly Sensitive Souls & HSPs by Jenna Avery, CLC
As someone called too sensitive, you may have learned not to trust your instincts and despair of making a contribution to the world. Find out how your sensitivity can be gift, not an obstacle.
NOVA Holistic Animal Care
Nova Holistic Animal CareActivating the Synergy of Compassion and Expertise
Marilyn Cooley, HTACP, ESMT
(Healing Touch for Animals Certified Practitioner)
(Equine Sports Massage Therapist)Marilyn Cooley, sole proprietor of Nova Holistic Animal Care, specializes in a heart-based, progressive ap
Skilled Empaths, Empowered Empath Book :: Empowered Empath
Rose Rosetree teaches skills to born empaths. 
Time Management #8: Resources
Blogs, articles, and books about time management for creatives.

Interesting Eclectic Links (From My infp Point Of View)

Links from my travels.

Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers
Devoted to the preservation of the pipestone quarries of Minnesota and to the idea that peace pipes should be available to people of all nations. You can order beautiful peace pipes from them, no matter who you are.
Path Of The Feather
Path of the Feather is about becoming a shaman through your own life as a vision quest. The Path of the Feather as a teaching, is about becoming a contemporary shaman by seeing and hearing the voices of the living earth.
Kava Kava
For these stressful times.
Living Compassion: Keep It Simple
You can order two wonderful Zen Buddhist books called "The Key" and "That Which you are Seeking is Causing you to Seek" here. Ordering books and products through this web site helps support the Zen Monastery Peace Center.
A Whole Again Resource Guide Online
New Age and alternative reading room. All titles contain free on-line articles.
Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller
Discount books!
American Science & Surplus: Incredible Stuff
American Science & Surplus offers science kits, educational toys, school supplies, arts and crafts items, hobby tools, scales, lab glass, housewares, electronics and much more all at discount closeout prices.
Wildmind Buddhist Meditation | Learn to Meditate Online
A complete guide to common Buddhist meditation techniques, with free guided meditation audio, online meditation courses, and a meditation supplies store.
Shambhala Sun - Magazine
Shambhala Sun magazine brings the wisdom of Buddhism to all the important issues in life, Constantly changing selection of online stories from their archives.
Mind Map Art: Showcasing the World's Finest Mind Maps
Visually stunning Mind Maps of the World's most talented & gifted hand drawn Mind Mappers.
On the Trail of the Trail
A day-by-day account of the Georgia chapter of the Trail of Tears Association's efforts to establish the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in Georgia.
RainyMood.com
Gentle rain mp3 loop to sooth your highly sensitive mind.[Beautiful]
Goodlife Zen
Find tips for personal growth and happiness. Be inspired, fulfill your potential and live your dreams.
Live on Your Own Terms | Illuminated Mind
Life as art and art as life.

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crosinski

My name is Carol Rosinski and I'm an INFP, a rare personality type shared with only about 1% of the world's population. I live in Michigan with my husband... more »

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