Advice for an ENFP with anxiety
- Thread starter barbad0s
- Start date
I've had similar problems.
In regard to sleep, getting up at a consistent time is a big deal, which is why I haven't gotten enough sleep my entire college career. If you ever can get it to where you can go to sleep and wake up at a consistent time, do it. I do realize that it might not be possible with classes and especially roommates or neighbors, however. Take vitamin D. Exercise does help tremendously with sleep and also with anxiety/depression; it will make you feel better faster than any medication will. I recommend investing in an indoor bike. You could even read while you do it. You don't have to deal with the anxiety of going out then.
The other big thing is to watch what you eat. Cut down on sugar and complex carbs because those will make you feel terrible, esp. things like soda, candy, and processed foods. Eat lots of protein and good fats (i.e. nuts, olive/vegetable oil, etc). Candy and soda are basically evil when it comes to mental health and sleeping well. Alcohol is too, btw (though I don't know if you drink or not).
The more you deal with anxiety, the better you will get at dealing with it. I do think it is worthwhile to look into anxiety reduction techniques (i.e. various meditations, you mentioned yoga, journal, etc.) to see if any work for you. It is good to try and free your mind from clutter and take some time for yourself, instead of being absorbed in television or computer or whatever. I mean, people complain all the time about not having time, but most of these people watch television for 20-30 hours per week.
The last thing I will recommend is that you be very clear to yourself about what it is that you want. Know exactly what it is that is tormenting you, and then either make a plan to get what you want or stop worrying about it. Most people only have vague ideas about what they want in life, or they say they value some things but in practice value them very little. Focusing on values is a very INFJ thing, but I think it works. If you know what you value, you will know yourself and be secure in that knowledge. Otherwise, you're just going to be stuck with values influenced by the degenerate aspects of society.
In regard to sleep, getting up at a consistent time is a big deal, which is why I haven't gotten enough sleep my entire college career. If you ever can get it to where you can go to sleep and wake up at a consistent time, do it. I do realize that it might not be possible with classes and especially roommates or neighbors, however. Take vitamin D. Exercise does help tremendously with sleep and also with anxiety/depression; it will make you feel better faster than any medication will. I recommend investing in an indoor bike. You could even read while you do it. You don't have to deal with the anxiety of going out then.
The other big thing is to watch what you eat. Cut down on sugar and complex carbs because those will make you feel terrible, esp. things like soda, candy, and processed foods. Eat lots of protein and good fats (i.e. nuts, olive/vegetable oil, etc). Candy and soda are basically evil when it comes to mental health and sleeping well. Alcohol is too, btw (though I don't know if you drink or not).
The more you deal with anxiety, the better you will get at dealing with it. I do think it is worthwhile to look into anxiety reduction techniques (i.e. various meditations, you mentioned yoga, journal, etc.) to see if any work for you. It is good to try and free your mind from clutter and take some time for yourself, instead of being absorbed in television or computer or whatever. I mean, people complain all the time about not having time, but most of these people watch television for 20-30 hours per week.
The last thing I will recommend is that you be very clear to yourself about what it is that you want. Know exactly what it is that is tormenting you, and then either make a plan to get what you want or stop worrying about it. Most people only have vague ideas about what they want in life, or they say they value some things but in practice value them very little. Focusing on values is a very INFJ thing, but I think it works. If you know what you value, you will know yourself and be secure in that knowledge. Otherwise, you're just going to be stuck with values influenced by the degenerate aspects of society.
@Dragon @InvisibleJim @everyone
Thanks for everyone's help. I am happy to annouce that for the past week and a half about, I've been magically sleeping and waking at normal, convenient hours.
I think getting the paperwork submitted for withdrawing from that one other course of mine took a lot of the stress off and helped with that.
My relations with my landlady have improved, and I've been able to interact positively with people a lot more IRL / "reaching out" or whatever, so my anxiety has gone down a lot (need to feed my extroversion). When I do go out and get things done, I'm receiving a lot of positive reinforcement to keep the habit going and my anxiety at bay, and the few times this past while when I was feeling too anxious to do things I didn't get any negative feedback from others.
It's kind of a cycle.. the more I go out and get stuff done --> the more I get to interact with others and use up my body's energy --> the less anxious I feel and more normally I can sleep --> the more i can go out and get stuff done
Thanks for everyone's help. I am happy to annouce that for the past week and a half about, I've been magically sleeping and waking at normal, convenient hours.
I think getting the paperwork submitted for withdrawing from that one other course of mine took a lot of the stress off and helped with that. My relations with my landlady have improved, and I've been able to interact positively with people a lot more IRL / "reaching out" or whatever, so my anxiety has gone down a lot (need to feed my extroversion). When I do go out and get things done, I'm receiving a lot of positive reinforcement to keep the habit going and my anxiety at bay, and the few times this past while when I was feeling too anxious to do things I didn't get any negative feedback from others.
It's kind of a cycle.. the more I go out and get stuff done --> the more I get to interact with others and use up my body's energy --> the less anxious I feel and more normally I can sleep --> the more i can go out and get stuff done
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That's really great to hear niffer! I was reading the posts and thought, "Boy, I really don't know what advice to give." It sounds like what you learned about yourself can be good advice for me too. Even though I'm not extrovert, we all can learn to reach out a little more.@Dragon @InvisibleJim @everyone
Thanks for everyone's help. I am happy to annouce that for the past week and a half about, I've been magically sleeping and waking at normal, convenient hours.
My relations with my landlady have improved, and I've been able to interact positively with people a lot more IRL / "reaching out" or whatever, so my anxiety has gone down a lot (need to feed my extroversion). When I do go out and get things done, I'm receiving a lot of positive reinforcement to keep the habit going and my anxiety at bay, and the few times this past while when I was feeling too anxious to do things I didn't get any negative feedback from others.
It's kind of a cycle.. the more I go out and get stuff done --> the more I get to interact with others and use up my body's energy --> the less anxious I feel and more normally I can sleep --> the more i can go out and get stuff done