Nobody enjoys stress and emotional suffering. Life can sometimes feel overwhelming though, especially if you do not understand what triggers your anxiety. To secret to learning this - and avoiding unnecessary upset - lies within your personality type.
Different personality types have their own, unique emotional triggers. Knowing what yours are can go a long way toward helping you live a less stressful life. Knowing is half the battle – and if you know what is going to upset you in future, you can attempt to prevent it from happening!
ENFJ - The Giver & ESFJ - The Provider
These personality types are natural helpers. You'll take a great deal of satisfaction from aiding people in reaching their potential, and will always be happy to lend advice.
Unfortunately, this guidance may not always be welcome. If somebody decides not to take you up on your offer, it’s not personal. They just want to do things their way.
ENFJ and ESFJ anxiety triggers:
- Disagreement and conflict
- Hindrance
- Perceived rejection or being frozen out.
- Aggression and argumentativeness
- Social pressure
ENFP - The Champion & ENTP - The Visionary
These personality types are natural born risk-takers. This means that you’ll always be willing to take a chance, and try something new. Sometimes this will work, and sometimes it won’t.
You don’t mind failure – but you absolutely loathe being told that your ideas are silly or impractical. What’s more, you have absolutely no patience for negativity or complaining. You’re out to change the world, and people that prefer the status quo leave you feeling stifled.
ENTP and ENFP anxiety triggers:
- Pessimism
- Refusal to try new things through fear of failure
- Hopelessness
- Feeling uncreative and/or uninspired
- Being described as shallow, irresponsible or flighty
- Stagnation, with no suggestion of a way forward
- Feeling trapped
ESTJ - The Supervisor & ENTJ - The Commander
The Supervisor and The Commander are the very definition of a Type A Personality. You thrive on efficiency, and seek to retain control over any situation that you find yourself in.
This can be challenging, as life doesn’t always afford that luxury. Unexpected happenings can be thrown up at any moment, and not everybody reacts in the same way. You may grow increasingly stressed at what you consider to be an illogical or unhelpful response to an unforeseen event.
ESTJ and ENTJ anxiety triggers:
- Feeling helpless, or out of control
- People behaving without thinking first
- Inefficiency
- Irrational thinking
- Irresponsibility, especially when it impacts you
- A lack of planning and/or structure
ESFP - The Performer & ESTP - The Doer
The Performer and The Doer firmly believe that it's easier to seek forgiveness than permission. You trust your judgment, and your ability to think on your feet and make the right decision when your back is against the wall. This means that any kind of delay is going to leave you tearing your hair out. You need to be constantly moving and taking action. Rules are for other people. You want to be out there, making a difference.
ESFP and ESTP anxiety triggers:
- Delays and/or obstructions
- Boredom and lack of stimulation
- Overcomplication of simple things
- Slow progress, especially when delays are avoidable
- Being hindered by difficulty and/or negativity
INFP - The Idealist & ISFP - The Composer
If you’re an Idealist or a Composer, it’s safe to say that you care very deeply about the causes that matter to you. These could be political campaigns, business dealings, or even just the welfare of your friends and family.
That’s an admirable trait. Unfortunately, not everybody will have the same ethical code as you – and this can send you spiraling down an emotional rabbit hole. You simply cannot understand how they can live this way.
INFP and ISFP anxiety triggers:
- Apathy to causes that matter to you.
- Immorality
- Lack of passion
- People dismissing your passion for your interests.
- Feelings of failure and/or inadequacy
INTJ - The Mastermind & INFJ - The Counselor
Heaven help anybody that interrupts The Mastermind or the Counselor while you’re wrestling with a problem. You want to be left alone, to apply your critical thinking and love of logic to an issue.
You also grow weary – and even upset – by what you consider to be nonsensical, needless and superficial small talk. You couldn’t care less that somebody’s dog has recently had puppies. Don’t they know that the world is in the midst of a climate emergency?
INTJ and INFJ anxiety triggers:
- Having your opinion and/or insights dismissed
- Being asked what you consider to be silly questions, and general small talk
- Meaninglessness
- Shallowness
INTP - The Thinker & ISTP - The Craftsperson
The Thinker and The Craftsperson don't speak unless they have something to say, and don't raise a problem unless they have already considered a solution. This means that inaccuracy and irreverence will cause you emotional distress.
The words, "I don't know" are not in your vocabulary. You cannot understand why anybody would not wish to turn his or her ignorance into education. People that refuse to see your point of view, especially when provided with evidence, enrage you.
INTP and ISTP anxiety triggers:
- Willful ignorance
- Failing to understand a problem or situation
- A focus on emotion and feelings over facts
- Deliberate spreading of lies and misinformation
- Inaccuracy
- Irrational bias
ISTJ - The Inspector & ISFJ - The Nurturer
The Inspector and The Nurturer are both detail-oriented personality types. You hate the term, "don't sweat the small stuff.”. As far as you're concerned, there is no such thing as, "small stuff." It's all part of the bigger picture, and it needs to be assessed appropriately.
You struggle to deal with flaky people, and the rug being pulled from under your feet. While you're generally placid, somebody that deviates from the plan and changes direction without warning can give rise to a hair-trigger temper.
ISTJ and ISFJ anxiety triggers:
- Sudden and unexpected changes in plan
- A lack of information about the bigger picture
- Being expected to improvise
- Not being given time to prepare
- Overwhelming demands