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By Heidi Priebe
ENFPs are passion-driven ‘ideas’ people. They gain energy from interacting with the world around them, and become quickly excited over new possibilities. Though ENFPs loves being around people, they crave alone time much more than the average extrovert. ENFPs search for a deeper meaning in just about everything, and use their much-coveted alone time to decide how their experiences fit in with their system of core values. To be frank, it’s an exhausting personality to have. Here are a few struggles most ENFPs face.
1. Getting your energy from social interaction, but disliking superficial conversations. Yes, I want to go to a party tonight. But a party full of contemplative people who want to alternate between taking shots and discussing the meaning of life.
2. Being very socially conscious but also fiercely individualistic. This means always wanting to fit in with a group, but never wanting to compromise your personality to do so.
3. The constant tug-of-war between ‘YES, I WANT TO GO EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW’ and ‘Wow, I need a lot of time to process these experiences, can I take a breather?’
4. Having a thousand great ideas that you never follow through on.
5. Regularly forgetting that your physical needs exist.
6. Getting into the perfect job/relationship/groove and hearing that nagging voice in the back of your mind going “But maybe there’s something even BETTER out there…”
7. Constantly contradicting yourself because you genuinely see multiple sides to most situations.
8. Everyone thinking you’re flirting with them, all of the time.
9. Being a HUGE, UNSTOPPABLE FORCE of creativity and productivity… an hour before the deadline.
10. Getting bored 500 times faster than the average human being.
11. Constantly biting off more than you can chew… and then chewing it out of stubbornness.
12. Stressing out friends and acquaintances who don’t like straying from the original plan.
13. Working towards a constantly altering notion of your “ideal self.”
14. When you have to complete a task that you simply cannot find a way to make fun.
15. Begrudgingly identifying Peter Pan as your spirit animal.
16. People underestimating your intelligence because you lead with the fun, upbeat parts of your personality.
17. Needing significantly more alone time than other extroverts.
18. Others being surprised that you hold such strong opinions and beliefs, despite your easy-going nature.
19. Trying to explain to the people closest to you that yes, you love pretty much everyone, but you love them the MOST.
20. People thinking you’re looking for advice when you simply need to process things out loud.
21. Staying in bad relationships because you focus on how things COULD be rather than how they are.
22. Wanting to be alone… but like, with other people nearby.
23. Appearing shallow because of your tendency to flit from topic to topic in conversation, with lightening speed.
24. Having a fiercely independent streak… but getting bored without company.
25. Being a walking contradiction in almost every way, but knowing that you wouldn’t change a thing, even if you could.
For more writing like this, read Heidi Priebe’s book The Comprehensive ENFP Survival Guide.
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