[Type 6] e6 anxiety, 6w7, 7w6, 6w5

[the state i am in]

do you get stuck in negative thought loops? do you get panic attacks? do you become completely avoidant?

what does e6 anxiety/panic feel like? what have you learned to do to positively respond to severe stress?

 

[revolve]

yes i get stuck in negative thought loops (7w6). i don't think i get true panic attacks but i definitely feel panicky. when i was younger i was not avoidant whatsoever but around my late 20's i think i started to become more & more avoidant every year . . . actually i am avoidant temporarily until i burst. i always burst, that's a guarantee . . . e6 anxiety/panic feels pretty unbearable- like fight / flight response coming . . . but in a very grandiose way . . . like, "oh my god i have to make a gigantic change right this second" for example when i get into a fight with my SO he may leave to go think or cool down or whatever & then i'll call him & say he needs to come back immediately & then in 2 minutes i pack up all his stuff in a frantic apocalyptic manner & before he can even open my front door i am handing him every little tiny possession in garbage bags because i can't deal with the pain. i freak the F out. the best thing in all stressful situations: SO hugs me, holds me, coddles me, plays with my hair ie. touch cures all. and touch gets rid of it FAST . . . when i am single . . . it is not good . . . i guess i choose avoidance when i am single. i avoid a lot actually now that i think of it.

 

[KiwiBurst]

Yes, I get stuck in negative thought loops but who doesn't? I have never had a panic attack. I have had mild to moderate social anxiety my entire life. Currently, I am somewhat avoidant of social situations. Hypnosis is good for stress... Otherwise, I don't know. That's the only thing that really helps me.
E6 anxiety feels like regular anxiety but it's just more prevalent. Imagine having stage fright... all the time.

 

[SilkRoad]

Negative thought loops for sure. And sometimes I think I've broken the loop when I go to bed at night, and in the morning I'm right back where I started

I can suffer from intense nausea and exhaustion under a lot of stress, too. Not good. I've had some problems with phobias in recent years too...well, a bit my whole life, but I think I had a lot of stress in life generally the last few years and it aggravated some low-level fears into phobias. I had some CBT therapy last year and it helped to a certain extent with learning thought techniques to deal with anxiety or nip it in the bud.

I can tell when I'm worrying more than necessary, but being aware of it and stopping it is another thing. I had a lot of anxiety recently with job uncertainty, for months. Now that has passed, and I feel so much better

 

[skylights]

yeah i definitely have neg thought loops sometimes (7w6 sxso, i think)

imagine having stage fright... all the time.

for me, maybe not quite that intense, but a lingering tinge of it

i struggled with panic attacks from middle to high school, and always with social anxiety in groups/public places... i bordered on anorexic for a while in middle school too because of low self-confidence in the social sphere (i liked myself plenty when alone, but was very concerned with image and social hierarchy). more recently i have dealt with sleep paralysis - when your mind wakes up straight out of REM sleep and your body is still paralyzed. it's really terrifying - you're totally alone, everything is dark, and you can't move at all. just like with panic attacks, i've had to learn to breathe slowly and regularly, use soothing logical thought, and wait it out. though oddly enough i usually sleep like a rock, lol

ways i deal with anxiety...

• just putting myself out there, because it's never as bad as i fear it will be and the whole "dare" aspect of it is kind of fun
• dressing nicely and/or artistically, because when i'm secure in my outfit and makeup, if i enjoy my overall image, it's easier to interact with others
• run things i am insecure about by close friends/family whose judgement and rationale i trust
• just be with close friends/family i trust, because if i'm secure they like me for who i am it is easier for me to be more confident with others too
• this really excellent website - the "moodgym" - it's a little cheezy but it's really quite useful for identifying and changing negative thought patterns
• instrumental celtic music, other low-key happy music like owl city, enya, ben lee, etc.
• yoga, swimming, and breath-muscle relaxation exercises (my favorite is progressive relaxation), having a "spa night" or "mental health day"
• chocolate. no really though, not like a pint of B&Js, like a little block off a plain milk chocolate hershey's bar. this is kind of silly but i always think of lupin (my favorite HP character) and his medicinal chocolate, and how chocolate is nice and warm and solid, and it's just comforting.
• doodling and looking at pretty pictures :]

Negative thought loops for sure. And sometimes I think I've broken the loop when I go to bed at night, and in the morning I'm right back where I started

 

[VanillaCat]

do you get stuck in negative thought loops? do you get panic attacks? do you become completely avoidant?

what does e6 anxiety/panic feel like? what have you learned to do to positively respond to severe stress?

Yes, I definitely get stuck in thought loops. mostly thinking about social interactions that have happened.. how they annoyed me..

Randomly, i'll get a panic attack. i'll just feel super disgusted in myself and feel like never eating again because I feel "fat" but I'm not fat, so I never follow through with that That rhymed, Lol.

and yes, i become very avoidant with everything when i'm stressed out. and then i get into negative thought loops about how i'm not doing what i'm supposed to be doing.

The anxiety feels like, I guess the feeling you get when you think you've forgot something, like leaving the stove on or something like that. I don't feel like I've forgotten something though, lol, just to make that clear. It's just the little feeling of panic and slight urgency you get that's equivalent.

i haven't learned to react positively to stress. i just know that I don't feel it whenever I'm distracted by something else, or done what I'm supposed to do, or just random little things that make me happy

 

[Lady_X]

yes i get stuck in negative thought loops (7w6). i don't think i get true panic attacks but i definitely feel panicky. when i was younger i was not avoidant whatsoever but around my late 20's i think i started to become more & more avoidant every year . . . actually i am avoidant temporarily until i burst. i always burst, that's a guarantee . . . e6 anxiety/panic feels pretty unbearable- like fight / flight response coming . . . but in a very grandiose way . . . like, "oh my god i have to make a gigantic change right this second" for example when i get into a fight with my SO he may leave to go think or cool down or whatever & then i'll call him & say he needs to come back immediately & then in 2 minutes i pack up all his stuff in a frantic apocalyptic manner & before he can even open my front door i am handing him every little tiny possession in garbage bags because i can't deal with the pain. i freak the F out. the best thing in all stressful situations: SO hugs me, holds me, coddles me, plays with my hair ie. touch cures all. and touch gets rid of it FAST . . . when i am single . . . it is not good . . . i guess i choose avoidance when i am single. i avoid a lot actually now that i think of it.

wow yeah...this all of this this whole talk about this is making me panicky right now actually...i might prefer to go back to not knowing this stuff.

 

[Arclight]

e6w5 Sp/Sx/So

Loops are like par for the course..
Especially when I am beating the shit out of myself.'

When I am under stress.. I seek to withdraw and detach..
If this space is not forthcoming, I slowly start to boil with the lid screwed on tight.. The pressure mounts and I will eventually explode.. or in some cases, Implode and self destruct.

I find people almost take this as a challenge instead of trying to understand it.
They see a warning as a threat, A plea as a taunt..

This often can spell disaster

 

[VanillaCat]

why are so many enfps 6w7?

 

[the state i am in]

why are so many enfps 6w7?

i think a lot of it is enfp 7w6s who haven't learned how to deal with their anxiety so their w6 feels way out of whack. one of my friends is like this, actually had a mental breakdown. his natural spontaneity looks more like adhd, distractedness, and a stronger cloud of darkness that he can't control. the anxiety hasn't really smoothed out or equalized, and the e7 avoidance tendency doesn't really help. it's somewhat frustrating and i don't really know what to do. he's a really, really good dude.

i may be wrong, but it feels like anxiety is like this personal hell that a person can get stuck in. and they need a very particular kind of key to solve the riddle, but it's so difficult to figure out how to get it, to randomly play the therapist lottery, try medications, methodologies, etc. but knowing that there's probably someone out there who has the perspective and the techniques to deactivate it. that there's some way to communicate and work through the answers, outside things, people, and viewpoints that can help ease you back and correct some of the systemic anxiety errors.

also, for some reason this made me think of the flaming lips record the soft bulletin.

 

[Lady_X]

yeah i'm 7w6 definitely more 7 than 6 but i do get very anxious and restless and feel immobilized by stress...and avoidant...

 

[VanillaCat]

I just found this thread which relates to this topic & why we have this anxiety..
http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/enneagram/29013-soul-child-type-six-point-nine.html

Pretty interesting. I'm going to read the books she mentioned. =]

 

[Lady_X]

I just found this thread which relates to this topic & why we have this anxiety..
http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/enneagram/29013-soul-child-type-six-point-nine.html

Pretty interesting. I'm going to read the books she mentioned. =]

that sounds fun...i'm going to climb under my covers with chocolate and wine and rock myself to sleep.

 

[Starry]

Yes, I definitely get stuck in thought loops. mostly thinking about social interactions that have happened.. how they annoyed me..

Randomly, i'll get a panic attack. i'll just feel super disgusted in myself and feel like never eating again because I feel "fat" but I'm not fat, so I never follow through with that That rhymed, Lol.

and yes, i become very avoidant with everything when i'm stressed out. and then i get into negative thought loops about how i'm not doing what i'm supposed to be doing.

The anxiety feels like, I guess the feeling you get when you think you've forgot something, like leaving the stove on or something like that. I don't feel like I've forgotten something though, lol, just to make that clear. It's just the little feeling of panic and slight urgency you get that's equivalent.

i haven't learned to react positively to stress. i just know that I don't feel it whenever I'm distracted by something else, or done what I'm supposed to do, or just random little things that make me happy

VanillaCat ~ thank you so much for this post as it has me feeling I am not so alone in this world (oh yah - I can actually become stressed merely thinking of how odd & USELESS I become when stressed).

While I so admire other types and am aware of their courageous strategies at overcoming challenges - I have mastered none of them. Like when you hear of someone saying 'yah...I've been really stressed out lately so I just ran 20 miles and then whipped up some homemade yogurt' or 'I just completely cleaned my home and got caught up on my bills'.

Oh really? 'I just compulsively checked my email 88 times, cursed how ugly I have become in the mirror and now I'm ready to eat a dinner of chocolate and sleep for 3 days'.

It still amazes me how I can react like the child that has been let down in some monumental way. I have tried to train myself not to have 'magical thinking' or 'great expectations' but still do and believe I always will. I guess I will have to learn to find joy in yogurt making

 

[VanillaCat]

VanillaCat ~ thank you so much for this post as it has me feeling I am not so alone in this world (oh yah - I can actually become stressed merely thinking of how odd & USELESS I become when stressed).

While I so admire other types and am aware of their courageous strategies at overcoming challenges - I have mastered none of them. Like when you hear of someone saying 'yah...I've been really stressed out lately so I just ran 20 miles and then whipped up some homemade yogurt' or 'I just completely cleaned my home and got caught up on my bills'.

Oh really? 'I just compulsively checked my email 88 times, cursed how ugly I have become in the mirror and now I'm ready to eat a dinner of chocolate and sleep for 3 days'.

I agree completely! Long lost twin! Hehe

It still amazes me how I can react like the child that has been let down in some monumental way. I have tried to train myself not to have 'magical thinking' or 'great expectations' but still do and believe I always will. I guess I will have to learn to find joy in yogurt making

Do you have any examples of this?

 

[Saslou]

do you get stuck in negative thought loops? do you get panic attacks? do you become completely avoidant?

what does e6 anxiety/panic feel like? what have you learned to do to positively respond to severe stress?

Negative loop yes .. In the past .. I'm now training my mind to find more positive perspectives .. So far it's working .. Yayyy

Panic attacks .. no

What have i learned .. Detach and look from outside in .. How bad is it? What can i do to change my thinking etc? In the grand scheme, is it important?

The answers .. No .. Yes .. No.

I am aware though i have to be very careful around those energy vampires to leech onto you .. Other peoples negative behaviour has a serious impact on my internal wellbeing which can cause incredible anxiety.

I also know from experience though that even during times of hardship .. Sometimes the foundations need to be shaken in order for change to follow .. This is when true strength comes into play.

 

[guesswho]

7w6
Anxiety: Yes
Avoidant: Rarely
Panic attacks: No
I dislike negative behavior because it can change my mood, from excited to angry/anxious, when I see all kind of weird shit, and although I have this reaction I still try to fix it...help that person get a little more insight on his negative thing, because knowing is the first step to improving.

 

[Starry]

Do you have any examples of this?

I’m not sure I can explain the expectation/magical thing all that well when I think on it.‎

I guess imagine a child that just knew they were going to get a certain gift for their birthday. It ‎could be anything…but let’s say a rock polisher (I can actually remember wanting one of those). ‎And in the gift pile there is a package that is shaped just like it…weighs what a rock polisher ‎would weigh…and so now the child just knows that everything is going according to plan – all is ‎well in the world. But when the gift is opened it is a set of books or something. None of the ‎gifts contain a rock polisher.‎

I realize that that is a pretty dorky analogy…and I have never actually had that experience with ‎regards to irl material gifts (I actually ended up getting my rock polisher)…but I feel like that ‎quite often just existing in the world. I get disappointed by people and think – ‘no one is as ‎innocent as I am, pure, gullible, happy, possessing a real sense of good-will toward all people’. ‎Watching the news can make me literally ill. The anxiety comes when I have had several back-‎to-back experiences with ‘being reminded’ that the world isn’t how I imagine it to be…how I ‎just KNOW it should be. And then I’ll start to wonder…how did I end up here? *anxiety time* ‎This is when I do become avoidant…and, I guess start obsessively looking for some sign that ‎there is good in this world.‎

 

[Starry]

I think with guys too. Like I'll think...hooray I've met the man of my dreams! And then they will let me down in some way. Then the whole 'magical picture' is shattered. Total idealist.

 

[rowingineden]

(head fix currently 7w6) I had a panic attack once. I was facing one of my phobias (driving) while having indulged in too much caffeine for the past couple of weeks. I have had times when my anxiety was more prominent in my life, but I've been pretty counterphobic for a while now, and when I identify a problem area, I tend to kick its proverbial butt. Also, I have some reaaaally cool antidepressants that make me fearless at the right dosage. I was pretty avoidant when I was younger, but my life situation had a lot to do with that. It was simply the best way to survive.

The panic attack felt like I couldn't breathe at all, and for almost a full hour after that I was having trouble even staying upright, I thought I might faint at any moment, and I was very dizzy.

The way I deal with my anxiety is a multipronged attack. I identify the problem, I try to work out what issues I have that are causing the problem, work my way through those issues, and then I try to desensitize myself to the problem by forcing myself to face it over and over again. Oftentimes I will confide in my friends and they will end up lending me some kind of support, and having a group support you and want to help you is very effective. Like I said, I also have my medication. Attitude and being just really determined to be better are important, too.