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[ENTJ] My restless mind

ENTJ-girl

New member
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
36
I will start by apologizing in advance for my English. I am still new to the whole Ennegram test and personality types. I am trying to understand more about the functions application in real life.

I have been wondering about a certain characteristics about myself. I have always had problems with "thinking too much". My mind does not really stop. Sometimes, I am sleepless (even wake up from my sleep) and cannot stop my mind. Sometimes, these thoughts are meaningless. I have to keep my mind engaged otherwise, I will be drawn into negative thoughts. My mother (not sure about her type) has the same problem which got worst with age.

I would like to know if other ENTJ are the same and how they cope with having a restless mind.

Thanks,
Sarah
 
G

garbage

Guest
All the time. I can't not think. I'm always either analyzing past mistakes or imagining how future scenarios will play out, playing either the past or the future over and over in my head. These thought processes are almost always in connection with the "next big thing" for me.. what's impeded me from achieving it before and what might stop me in the future. When this occurs at night (which is very often), insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns can become major issues for me.

I took up yoga and meditation, which actually do help somewhat. I also have a ritual of hot tea and light reading before bed.. when I remember to do it and I don't convince myself that it's pointless.

Usually, physical sickness also drains me emotionally, because I don't have the energy to practice my relaxation techniques or to do anything that would distract me from my thoughts. I'm facing this right now.. it's cold season, after all.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
7,263
MBTI Type
INTP
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5w4
When I feel like this, I ask myself what I truly need to calm down, slowly, rather than immediately. Sometimes I light some candles and put on some music and write in my journal or draw. Other times I listen to some inspiring lectures with the same ambiance. Exercise and meditation usually help too, even though the first 10-20 minutes of meditation are TOTAL FUCKING CHAOS.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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I think that's a philosophical question that I'd answer by saying that it is caused stuff outside of and deeper than "NT," but gets expressed in you as "NT." For other people, it's restlessness, boredom, anxiety, neediness, craving, etc.
 

BerberElla

12 and a half weeks
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,725
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infp
I think that's a philosophical question that I'd answer by saying that it is caused stuff outside of and deeper than "NT," but gets expressed in you as "NT." For other people, it's restlessness, boredom, anxiety, neediness, craving, etc.

Really?

Because I was reading the OP and I could totally understand it, it drives me insane and I am no NT. :D

I can't stop thinking, when I lie down in bed my mind starts racing, plans, ideas, scenarios, endlessly nattering at me, and I even get out of bed at times because I just can't sleep or because I've had an epiphany.

Meditation hasn't helped, but then again I've only tried a few times and became disheartened with it when my mind continued to race ahead of me.

I wondered if it was the Ne, but now I have no idea. :shock:

ENTJgirl, I have no idea what will help you, but I'm a P, I procrastinate, and I continue rather than truly dedicating myself to learning a path that will help calm my over active mind.

Good luck.
 

pippi

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Sep 6, 2008
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735
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xxxx
Is this related to the "NT"?
I think it's Ni. The only thing that quiets the noise in my head is focusing on something. When it's quiet, the thoughts take over and they go in all sorts of directions. Some positive, some negative.

My advice is to get out of your head, find something to focus on when you feel the negative thoughts creeping in. As Edahn suggested, write, read, talk to someone, do yoga, go for a run, or whatever works for you. Over time you should be able to 'turn down the volume' on the random thoughts spinning around in your head, they become a background hum instead of controlling you.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Really?

Because I was reading the OP and I could totally understand it, it drives me insane and I am no NT. :D

When I said it gets expressed as NT, I meant that her mental activity moves in the direction of trying to put ideas together, whereas other people's activity might move in the direction of trying to stimulate themselves (SeFi), glean personal meaning from things (NeFi), understand how the world works (TeNi), etc. But they all come out of the same basic restlessness.

I'm just speculating, anyway.
 

Kangirl

I'm a star.
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
1,470
MBTI Type
ENTJ
I have been wondering about a certain characteristics about myself. I have always had problems with "thinking too much". My mind does not really stop.

Oh, I hear this, although luckily I have never had trouble sleeping. As a child my mother was always exhorting me to stop sitting on the sofa staring into space because it was lazy and boring. This was always confusing because, to me, sitting on the sofa with my mind wandering and working, working, working, never *felt* boring! In fact it felt quite active!

Any advice on insomnia comes from my experiences with a chronically insomniac boyfriend. You have to be rigorous about bedtime routines, and make 100% sure you don't indulge in any behaviours that make sleeping difficult for quite a few hours before bedtime (whatever it may be for you - coffee, allowing yourself to slip into that mental mode of rolling things obsessively over and over in your mind, watching stressful TV etc., drinking alcohol etc.).
 

Hendo Barbarosa

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Dec 26, 2008
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I grew up with this problem, but I eventually at night just started to visualize different things in my head to calm myself down, which is I suppose basically meditation. Counting sheep is not just anecdotal, that concentration on a repetitive task can really help you access the one thing that at least my brain always has a hard time finding:

boredom.

Once you're bored, you go to sleep.

Also this might seem obvious but there can also be chemical reasons and other circumstances that can cause that sleeplessness, exploring those options could also be beneficial.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
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You should:
- exercise more/play some sport
- stress yourself less
- get more sunlight
- socialize more
- drink one glass of wine a day

and you'll see that your mind will thank you for this.
 

Eldanen

Arcesso pulli gingerios!
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Apr 26, 2007
Messages
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You should:
- exercise more/play some sport
- stress yourself less
- get more sunlight
- socialize more
- drink one glass of wine a day

and you'll see that your mind will thank you for this.

If you drink more than one, well, that'll relax you even more! Haha.
 

King sns

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Nov 4, 2008
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I will start by apologizing in advance for my English. I am still new to the whole Ennegram test and personality types. I am trying to understand more about the functions application in real life.

I have been wondering about a certain characteristics about myself. I have always had problems with "thinking too much". My mind does not really stop. Sometimes, I am sleepless (even wake up from my sleep) and cannot stop my mind. Sometimes, these thoughts are meaningless. I have to keep my mind engaged otherwise, I will be drawn into negative thoughts. My mother (not sure about her type) has the same problem which got worst with age.

I would like to know if other ENTJ are the same and how they cope with having a restless mind.

Thanks,
Sarah

My boyfriend is the same way. He's an INTJ.. (sometimes I wonder if he's a possible ENTJ.) He just can't stop thinking. He comes up with problems that don't even exist and attempts to solve them. They wake him from his sleep. He says he feels like he's got a problem sometimes!!

He hasn't been able to do anything to stop it though.
 

King sns

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You should:
- exercise more/play some sport
- stress yourself less
- get more sunlight
- socialize more
- drink one glass of wine a day

and you'll see that your mind will thank you for this.

This is VERY good advice..
Definitely good anxiety cures.
 

Kalach

Filthy Apes!
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
4,310
MBTI Type
INTJ
When you lay yourself down to sleepy boboes...

Step 1. Pay attention to your body. Specifically, what part of you are you holding tense. For me, it's head and shoulders. Relax.

Step 2. Choose a colour. Visualise your green grocer/produce department. Slowly and in detail, visualise selecting a piece of fruit or veg of your chosen colour. Pay attention to size, shape, texture. Once you have examined it thoroughly, put it in your cart and move on to the next type of fruit/veg of your chosen colour. And so on. Work through the whole range.

Step 3. If you're still awake, choose another colour.


Supposedly it calms the mind. There's basically no real or pressing problem to solve with fruit and veg so the gears and pulleys and rods and so on in the head are allowed to slow down and disengage and after a while normal tiredness puts you to sleep.

As a method it helped me through a bad patch where even the whole idea of going to bed was distressing for the sheer and horrible volume of personally ugly imagery that would start playing behind my eyelids.
 

BerberElla

12 and a half weeks
Joined
Sep 25, 2008
Messages
2,725
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When you lay yourself down to sleepy boboes...

Step 1. Pay attention to your body. Specifically, what part of you are you holding tense. For me, it's head and shoulders. Relax.

Step 2. Choose a colour. Visualise your green grocer/produce department. Slowly and in detail, visualise selecting a piece of fruit or veg of your chosen colour. Pay attention to size, shape, texture. Once you have examined it thoroughly, put it in your cart and move on to the next type of fruit/veg of your chosen colour. And so on. Work through the whole range.

Step 3. If you're still awake, choose another colour.


Supposedly it calms the mind. There's basically no real or pressing problem to solve with fruit and veg so the gears and pulleys and rods and so on in the head are allowed to slow down and disengage and after a while normal tiredness puts you to sleep.

As a method it helped me through a bad patch where even the whole idea of going to bed was distressing for the sheer and horrible volume of personally ugly imagery that would start playing behind my eyelids.

Interesting, I may actually have to try it, would have to avoid all the people who would undoubtably pop up and start talking to me whilst I was doing my shopping, no making eyes at the hot shelf stacker etc.

But it beats counting sheep and watching them start flying in stockings and suspenders whilst singing the national anthem, they mock me those sheep do.

No seriously, I will try that tonight, see if it helps. :)
 

Hendo Barbarosa

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Dec 26, 2008
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197
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yeah with me the sheep thing can tease the imagination, so sometimes it's just pure blocks of data jumping over a fence. Easier to count!
 

ENTJ-girl

New member
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
36
It is not necessarly when I am alone or it is quiet. It is more like tunning in a radio station that broadcast 24/7. I have successed in shutting it off once or twice.
 

LostInNerSpace

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Jan 25, 2008
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I will start by apologizing in advance for my English. I am still new to the whole Ennegram test and personality types. I am trying to understand more about the functions application in real life.

You're English is better than mine, I don't apologize. Now that you mention it, you're use of language is a bit strange for a foreign language speaker. I have not really been paying too much attention, but you only seem to slip-up with your use of "stuffs". On the other hand you seem to have done a fair job of mastering colloquialisms. We're you educated in a western country or something?

I have been wondering about a certain characteristics about myself. I have always had problems with "thinking too much".

Have you tried meditation? It will defrag your brain.
 

ENTJ-girl

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Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
36
I'm not really sure what you mean about "you seem to slip up with your use of stuffs", but my English learning experience came, mainly, from western media (tv, talkshows, movies, music). I think it's pretty smart that you could pick this up, I always managed to fool my natives that I am an excellent english speaker ;).

Yes, meditation is a daily practice.

You're English is better than mine, I don't apologize. Now that you mention it, you're use of language is a bit strange for a foreign language speaker. I have not really been paying too much attention, but you only seem to slip-up with your use of "stuffs". On the other hand you seem to have done a fair job of mastering colloquialisms. We're you educated in a western country or something?




Have you tried meditation? It will defrag your brain.
 
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