It goes without saying that 2020 had some serious downsides. But now that we’re in the process of coming out of 2020’s dark cloud, I’ve found myself clinging to and prioritizing a handful of INFJ lifestyle changes I picked over this past year.
The changes in this post may have be forced on me, and many of you, but I’ve found my life has radically improved in these areas as a result.
Here are 5 awesome INFJ lifestyle changes I’ll be keeping going forward–and changes you may want to keep or pick up if you’re an INFJ yourself.
Catching up with friends outdoors
Since outdoor meetings were the way to go this year, any time I saw my friends it was outside.
Our activities varied between appropriately spaced walks, picnics, and general hangouts. It was pretty universal between all of us how nice it was to meet outside.
In the past, we used to get together indoors, mostly at restaurants.
This shift made me realize how much time and money I’ve wasted in loud crowded restaurants I didn’t really want to be in, eating food I didn’t really care to eat just to catch up with someone.
The whole outdoor experience felt calmer and more enjoyable to me. And it felt easier to connect with my friends without having to compete with the stimulation of an indoor environment.
Of course, it’ll be nice to have the option to go inside if there’s bad weather (instead of having to cancel or reschedule). But by and large, outdoor socializing has made for healthier, calmer, more satisfying social experiences for me.
Keeping indoor restaurants to a minimum
Related to the point above, I realized I didn’t really miss eating out all that much.
Of course, this is a list of my own personal list of positive INFJ lifestyle changes. I don’t expect the full list to resonate with everyone, and perhaps this point may be the least popular.
I didn’t really eat out a ton to being with, but over this past year, I’ve come to realize how overstimulating and draining an environment like that is for me.
I’ve had so much more energy and enjoyable conversation when I’ve eaten in a less stimulating environment.
Going forward, I’ll likely visit a restaurant on occasion, but I’m going to be a lot more mindful of how much I actually want to eat the food there. I’ll also try to go at more off-hours or order out when I can.
For me, the days of going to an environment like this to socialize or just because my family is going will be few and far between.
I think it’s worth noting that part of the reason this environment likely overstimulates me is because I’m highly sensitive. I spent a portion of 2020 learning more about this trait. It’s something a lot of INFJs have in common. To learn more, check out this post!
A very light social schedule
I thought I had my social calendar under control before everything shut down.
When my calendar was forcibly cleared, I realized I was still overdoing it.
When I found myself with extra time, I used it to sleep more, rest more, exercise more, and work more. All of these activities are solo activities for me, and I found when I did these things, I watched my energy and productivity skyrocket.
When restrictions eased and socializing outdoors was an option, I made it a point to keep my calendar very light. I limited things to 1-2 activities a week, totaling about 5-6 hours a week. (I’d say I was previously more than double this.)
I found that this made it possible for me to maintain my high energy and productivity levels and gave me more meaningful socializing.
I’ve been so much more present when I see someone because I’m not tired. Also, I’ve had plenty of time to myself to do what I need to do, so I’m not hyper-aware of the time or have a deep need to get home.
Keeping large gatherings to a minimum
I was pretty good at avoiding these events prior to 2020, but now I realized I could be a lot better–especially when it comes to my family.
I come from a pretty big extended family. And I’m lucky–I genuinely enjoy seeing them, and I love when we all get together.
And while I’ve missed seeing them all over this past year, I think the lack of large gatherings also seriously contributed to my energy boost.
Because even large events you want to be at take energy from an introvert and INFJ.
Going forward, I’m going to make it a point to go to less gatherings.
In addition, I’m also going to start to pop in and out of large family and non-family celebrations.
For instance, events like large graduation parties and even large birthday parties. They tend to be designed for people to come and go as they please. I’m going to try to keep my visits to under an hour in most cases.
I think this will strike a good balance of showing up to celebrate but also taking care of myself.
Keeping most socializing out of my house
I’ve truly enjoyed not having people over. It’s made my house a complete and total introvert sanctuary, and I intend to keep it that way.
It’s been wonderful not to have to clean up after socializing or spend pre-socializing time prepping the house instead of charging up.
I’ve also found knowing I have the option to leave any social situation and come home to be a welcome escape.
Introverts are naturally more inclined to prefer smaller gatherings. INFJs are great at creating connection, and we tend to be natural planners. This may be part of why I was more reflexive to host things in the past.
But this past year has shown me I can find the same connection and small scale gatherings outdoors and out of my house.
With that said, I’ll absolutely have my friends over from time to time. It’ll be a lot less common than it used to be.
Looking for more in-depth tips on how to manage your introverted life?
If you want to dig a little deeper, check out the Introvert Life Guide!
This guide was designed to help you build the introvert life of your dreams. And it’s full of plenty of tips and tricks to help you manage the five biggest areas of your introvert life.
While it wasn’t written just for INFJs, it should also help you navigate plenty of additional common INFJ problems.
It will also help you embrace your introverted nature and build a life to help you thrive!
For more introvert life tips, check out the other introvert posts!
Sound off: Are there and INFJ lifestyle changes you picked up over the past year that you’re keeping? Tell us about it in the comments!