What do other infj's do when stressed

[Seira]

Ive been wondering what other infj's do when stressed....I dont eat and get extremely irritable and annoyed with everyone within a 5 feet radius. So I'd like to know what you guys do....I'd appreciate if ONLY infj's answer. Thank you

 

[CuriousFeeling]

Although this might be best suited in the NF Idyllic section, here's my input to your question.

Quite a bit of things when stressed:

- get more irritable than usual
- don't eat much
- insomnia
- think that the world is out to get me
- pessimistic thoughts/ self-defeatist thoughts
- become cynical and disbelieving of information people tell me
- over-analyze and read too much into things
- put up a cold front, tend to shelter emotional expression to avoid getting hurt
- avoidance of people in general
- hypersensitivity to criticism or how people say things to me
- losing temper
- beating myself up inside
- feeling like life is an illusion
- appear externally disorganized and scatterbrained

To list a couple things.

 

[amerellis]

I was feeling stressed earlier today, just feeling really sick to my stomach worrying, but then I went swimming and that helped. I think excersizing in general helps when stressed. I thought this thread was going to be less abouth the symptoms and more proactive about possible treatment, excersizing being one method of destressing I would recommend.
Also, cognitive therapy, changing the way you feel about something by changing how you think about it, helps me too.

 

[Melfina]

I can definitely identify with the symptoms. At first thought, I don't really have a sort of "plan" for getting out, but I feel I need one. Often I seclude myself to avoid hurting others, but so many people worry about me it doesn't really work. Exercise does help if I can manage to force myself to get up. Laying on a couch or bed for hours is a symptom, lol. Most often,.music helps so much. Also turning on an audio book is helpful.

I find it's not so much that I am actually upset over the issue or scenario but rather my mind has settled in a "zone" and I need a stimulus to get me out for about 3-5 min. Then I can get back up on my mental feet and recover. For example, alot of my friends will try to talk me out of my mood by rehashing the problem in a different light. This never helps me. I already rolled the idea around in my head and know every way of looking at it. But! If they come over and show me a funny anime video or Who's Line Is It Anyway skit, I'll pop out of it really quick. It's never instant though.

~Mel

 

[Kyrielle]

Unhealthy symptoms:

-Eating emotionally (when stressed, that burger and cookies followed by a Dr Pepper sounds mighty good)
-General irritability
-Isolation from others
-Inability to think efficiently
-More likely to give up easily or burst into tears when alone
-Assuming whatever the issue is is 100% my fault
-Feeling like a failure

Solutions:

-Doing something I enjoy that is not detrimental to my health.
-Taking time for myself in a healthy manner (not spending my 'me' time moping).
-Escaping into a book/game for a short period of time.
-Making one day dedicated to not doing anything productive.
-Catching up on sleep.
-Going outside and doing something physical until I'm very tired.
-Doing a chore/errand I've been meaning to do that isn't time consuming (because when I finish, I feel successful).
-Once preoccupied with a physical activity, taking the time to partition responsibility for a problem into reasonable quantities (while some part might have been my fault, there are usually a number of extenuating circumstances that have nothing to do with me).
-Making myself go out and do something with someone. Like a nice dinner or hike.

 

[mrcockburn]

Ive been wondering what other infj's do when stressed....I dont eat and get extremely irritable and annoyed with everyone within a 5 feet radius. So I'd like to know what you guys do....I'd appreciate if ONLY infj's answer. Thank you

^ Exactly that. Except more like a 5 mile radius.

 

[wildflower]

i hermitize

 

[mochajava]

I find that movies and being distracted help a lot, going for walks helps a lot, and I do comfort food too (within reason) or just seek out my favorite foods. Reading or getting lost in something are distraction, but that's okay to do until you're ready to face your issue head on. Journaling helps a lot, and I'd like to echo the swimming recommendation. Aerobic exercise has been proven to help with depression, and even just a little bit is good. Are you looking to engage other people too, or averse to that? I like talking to some friends about it too -- specifically, two ENFJs and one INFJ. My I(N/S)TJ husband isn't typically much help, so I tend to avoid him and most others if I'm stressed.

 

[mujigay]

If a close friend of mine and my mother are any representative?

-Lash out at other people.
-Burst into tears.
-Get paranoid, assume everyone is out to get them.
-Become uncharacteristacally disorganized.
-Cook comfort food.
-Kick puppies.

Just kidding about the last one. But boy, the two I know sure get passive-agressive and nasty when they're upset. No one is safe when my mother is on PMS.

 

[Idealatious]

Unhealthy: eat chocolate, burn in resentment and snap at friends, hope that people notice my sadness but hide it so they they don't and then feel annoyed that they don't.

Healthy: go for long walks or jogs, listen to music and dance, write.

I don't know: watch stupid videos on youtube and giggle inanely while my roommates roll their eyes.

 

[Wanderer]

Although this might be best suited in the NF Idyllic section, here's my input to your question.

Quite a bit of things when stressed:

- get more irritable than usual
- don't eat much
- insomnia
- think that the world is out to get me
- pessimistic thoughts/ self-defeatist thoughts
- become cynical and disbelieving of information people tell me
- over-analyze and read too much into things
- put up a cold front, tend to shelter emotional expression to avoid getting hurt
- avoidance of people in general
- hypersensitivity to criticism or how people say things to me
- losing temper
- beating myself up inside
- feeling like life is an illusion
- appear externally disorganized and scatterbrained

To list a couple things.

ALL of that. Seriously.
I tend to cope by exercising. I got so stressed I ran 15 miles on a whim once (I had not trained for it) and couldn't walk for days afterwards.. XD
Usually I find that exercises where I'm either clearly accomplishing something (running a long distance) or training for something that pulls out my more.. competitive side (kickboxing) helps more than just weight lifting.

If I'm upset/stressed enough, I've been known to drink heavily. Which is why I usually avoid having sources of alcohol on hand.