Lockdown is hard. Let's talk about it.

Hope you’re ready for a change in tone today, folks!

⏳ TIME STAMPS:
0:39 Ad for VOS.health
1:33 Context and intro
2:18 Questions to consider whilst watching this video
2:58 Lesson 1: Se users get drained from not having a variety of sensory stimuli with which to interact.
4:52 Pro tips if you live with an Se user
6:25 Some fun activities I've done with my housemates in lockdown
7:40 Lesson 2: Implementing and communicating boundaries is more important than ever.
9:56 Pro tip if you live with an Fi user
10:25 Lesson 3: As lockdown grows longer, my time spent in self-reflection needs to increase as well.
11:34 Tips for nourishing Fi
12:31 Fi speech on surviving in lockdown
13:05 General tip for lockdown #1: Lower your expectations of others.
13:53 General tip for lockdown #2: Reach out to others if you've got the energy.
14:25 General tip for lockdown #3: Communicate with those around you.
14:33 My struggle living with housemates in lockdown (feat. ISTJ housemate as a case study)
17:20 Conclusion + another Fi speech

If you'd like an introduction to MBTI, its Jungian roots and the 16 personality types, please check out my collaboration with the Minds Journal:

If you'd like to watch my explanation of the 8 cognitive functions, please check out this video:

Videos from other YouTubers about the cognitive functions:

If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up - it helps the channel a lot! Thanks 😊

#lockdown #esfp #myersbriggs #16personalities #mbti #quarantine #mentalhealth

Music from YouTube audio library.

[darkocean]

"The worst thing about meeting new people is that they're new, they're people, and you meet them"

[edbutowsky]

INFJ, here’s some of what I’ve been doing.

Ni - I use my airline CC to pay for most things. So every time I pay for something I think of the miles I just accumulated and think/plan my big trip I’m going to take when this is all over.

Fe - since there is so much bad news out there, I’ve had to learn to filter much of it. I also try to find the silver linings in order to feel better.

Ti - reminding myself that this isn’t the first pandemic the world has dealt with. It won’t last forever but it won’t go away overnight. There’s a process and it needs to play out.

Se - leaving the house at least once a day does a world of good for my mood.

[theorycow]

For a while during lockdown I felt suddenly overcome with depression. But as restrictions lifted I realized that I've always been depressed, lockdown just deprived me of distractions from it.

-INFP

[namegobrrrrr]

kristen: opens up with how she struggled really hard with lockdown, and gives advice to help make it less painful




live chat: rock painting!!!

[NameNotAChannel]

INTP: At the start of Lockdown, people said we had to "practice social distancing"... I told them I had been practicing all my life, and I'm an expert now :) No issues for me really. I just go to work, sleep, eat, play video games, essentially. I hope social distancing becomes an acceptable social norm, and I hope more jobs open up remote work options to their employees as a standard, rather than an exception.

[Gintoki]

Lockdown is so comfortable to me that after opening everything up and being forced to get out of the house and to commute somewhere everyday I will feel like I am in a horror. I really appreciate my comfort, my own space, my home which is my own natural kingdom and my time that should be used efficiently . When those things are guaranteed I can work, relax and improve myself but when those things are disturbed I’m in pain - INFJ. As an advice to you (good or bad Idk), if you can’t go out to the world - just invite the world to yourself. Plan new different things to do with your roommates (LEGO, badminton, provisional bowling, playing instruments, writing songs together, cooking contests… etc, and take photos of everything so you will have something to look at and to prove yourself that in these dark days there is actually some light). Work at something intensively so the time will fly faster. Buy some plants (or a cat) so you will have to care about them, you will have to do some research and learning about which plants would like to have the most and what do they need to grow and look beautiful. Animals are great listeners by the way ;) Everyday try to unlearn how to suffer and just ride the wind. A true wisdom that is difficult to achieve by all of us (including me of course) is that when the hardship comes we should never disappoint the life - when there is nothing you can get, there are lots of things you still can do :)

[tatyannafrancis]

Though to be frank, lockdown has been so hard. I don’t have anyone to talk to. I moved away from my family for the first time a few months ago and can’t really go see them. I’m not working right now and I miss my coworkers, and I barely know my housemates. People just seem so out of reach, and being an Ne dom I need to PROCESS things EXTERNALLY, right now the best I got is a note in my phone I frantically type into when the thoughts get too loud in my head. And… even though I guess there are people I could reach out to, a lot of my family members are struggling, so I don’t want to burden them with me, and I’m having a really hard time feeling like I’m worth bothering my other friends. I just feel so isolated. It’s hard. I didn’t mean to ramble so long, I hope I’m not being annoying. Thanks Kristen for the video, as always :)
~an ENTP in crippling self-doubt mode who doesn’t know how to get out

[casnimot]

INTJ - If I'm typical of INTJs, then I would say INTJs tend to be confident. That confidence, in me, tends towards elevated expectations of myself. Perhaps only emphasizing what you've already said, such elevated expectations are (I would say) a likely source of frustrations and foul moods.

Now, lockdowns aren't nearly as tyrannical or threatening here in the US (I'm in California) as in Australia. And yet, as a hermit by choice, I still have to manage myself in some of the same ways people in the modern Aussie social prison do. That means managing expectations, specifically, scaling back goals to small steps and then not getting too bent at missing one or two of them. It's important to remember that progress is progress, even if small. So what if you shined on a small step to take a nap, you'll be ready for it when you get up (and naps are good at my age).

To offer a concrete example, and at the risk of over-sharing, I'm a woodworker in recovery from decades of alcohol abuse. My woodworking skills and hand strength atrophied in the latter years of my self-abuse. Since June of last year, I've been only slowly relearning my own shop and techniques. I'm giving myself 'til June of next year to regain my hand strength and crudely journaling what I get done in my shop as proof of progress. And that gives me something to wake up for, along with videos from Kristin.

[ericaaaafj]

Wow… Thank you so much for sharing your deep feelings. You did it very clearly. I found interesting to see your point of view, an ESFP’s point of view. I’ve never thought it could be that hard but now I completely understand, feel bad for you :(
I’m an INFJ and lockdown has been hard as well, but in a different way. As an introverted type (IJ in particular), I didn’t need all those external stimuli, so I did feel good at first. But then, not having those external stimuli, my Se disappeared, more than ever, and I really started living only in my head; my Ni became extremely unhealthy, together with my Ti. Also, ‘cause I was alone in the house, my Fe faded away. The more I stayed locked in, the more I was closing in on myself, not desiring to get out or talk to anyone anymore. I was sure I was fine on my own, but actually I wasn’t at all!!
Thanks to MBTI and other psychological theories that I learned, I got out of that☺️
Thanks again Kristin for sharing your personal thoughts about this painful experience that we’re all going through <3

[hoccopus]

ISFP: Thank you I really needed this. Even I, as an Introvert am getting sick and tired of lockdown. It's so boring here, all the days are the same. Nothing is memorable and I have no motivation to do anything anymore. I'm at the point where I'd rather socialize rather than be inside for another second. It's literally so boring to not have any other human interaction other than my family. Yes I love my family but psychology said that "you are a sum of 5 people you hang around with the most" and if I hang out with my family ALL THE TIME without interacting with any other people then how am I supposed to improve my personality?


Sorry about that quick rant lmao

[alienorkano]

As an INFP, being locked inside was no problem in itself. I'll naturally spend most of my time at home with a good book or video game. Even months of lockdown aren't too hard if I can talk with people every once in a while.

What was difficult for me was being at my folks' home for about 8 months. I love them, and we have a very good relationship. Despite that, I grew restless and a bit rude because I had little time by myself. I felt trapped, not because I was constantly inside with no jobs and friends to visit, but because I wasn't alone. I need solitude as much as I need people (maybe even more). It made me realise how trully important it is to me. I also learned I could be quite unpleasant without realising it, I've tried to improve that, by trying as much as possible to gage my tone while talking with people.

I've also had to face multiple interpersonal issues I've always had might stem from my gender identity. I've felt the growing desire since lockdown to experiment with feminine clothings and make-up, yet I don't feel confident enough to do it with other people around me. I haven't been able to stabilise (thank you Covid) and so I feel stuck, as if waiting to finally truly live my life.

I've been planning on living on my own while taking a new path in my professional life, I just don't know yet when this will be possible. Hopefully less than a year.

Cheers to anyone reading this :)

[ramzansson]

I'm an INFJ and being in lockdown really teaches me the importance of not being selfish in life especially when you're living with bunch of new housemates like me. I used to keep my feelings and thoughts to myself and being alone in my room having my "recharges" session and things never get much better to be honest. I want other people to notice it but never really talk about it to them. I finally realised that sometimes I do need to talk to other people about my feelings and problems and lockdown really teaches me that just because my housemates is an ENTP and ESTP that doesn't mean that they aren't great listeners. I mean, yeah with that smirks and sarcastic comments and feedbacks from them maybe it seems a little bit harsh for a Fe person like me but having mutual understanding that not all people can read my mind and do things that I only like makes myself to be more understanding towards other person in my life and put friendship more important than anything else. I mean seriously, it is silly to destroy your friendship just because of lockdowns. I just need more self reflection and be rational. We are all different and that differences what makes us beautiful 😄

[amissingbrick]

INFP experience (it’s a huge text, there’s a TLDR at the end): lockdown gave me a lot of time to introspect and made me realize many things about myself. This sounds good, but the bad part is not being able to put that in practice and feeling stuck.

Example, during the course of the pandemic my Ne worked together with my Si to be able to trace a plan to get where I want in life, because being away from social pressure really helps making you realize what you want and what you think other people want from you.

This all sounds lovely but remember the soul crushing part of not being able to do anything with your new found knowledge. I can’t put my plan into the works because I can’t leave my house, or the country, and schools here have their entrance exams on hold, most people in my field are being laid off.

It feels hopeless, to have this idealized vision in your head of your life, and having the blueprints to make this work, but no tools. So, if I don’t have a hammer, I search for anything else that I can wield and is heavy enough to hit things with.

If I can bring a small piece of my dream into reality, it won’t seem as overwhelming. Turn your room into a sanctuary, bring in decor that fits with the reality where you want to live, or just change furniture placement. I change my desktop wallpaper. I dress up everyday even though no one else cares if I’m in my pijamas or not. Basically just roleplay as your ideal self. Maybe it will make you feel like you’re closer to your objective, maybe it will help you notice that it’s not really what you want and either way it’ll bring somewhat of a closure to the existential crisis.

Obviously keep in my mind that roleplaying as your ideal self is a temporary measure to keep you motivated and that you shouldn’t settle for the next best thing. Be content with it, and when the opportunity arises for you to take your future back in your hands, don’t hesitate!

TLDR: dream better than reality. Can’t have dream. Take little part of dream, bring to reality. When we all free, work on your dream so it’s 100% reality. Keep motivated

[farrex]

My ESFP brother is constantly talking about his need of going outside, wanting to do things. While on a physical level I have had no single problem with lockdown, not once I have had the need to go outside, and even going outside for things feel like a chore. And I am doing home office since the start, so I am always in my house yet feel no need to go
That being said, it has indeed been pretty hard on me, but because I am desperate to see my co workers, friends and meet new people. I started doing it online, and while it was great at first but it lost its charm quickly. I need to see the person, despite me not caring about the sensory, socializing online is nowhere near the same as meeting someone face to face.

[dove]

When our school took MBTI the proctors told me I was NFP without a strong I or E lean.
There hasn’t been a lot of change for me personally day to day because I’ve dealt with a long term illness for many years the makes me frequently housebound.
The biggest frustration to cope with was they finally found what they think is the cause in my body and we’re prepared to do surgery in February 2020. Lockdown started days later at the beginning of March, and every surgeon my doctor talks with does not want to take the risk right now, so that has not been fun.
My coping has been the same as always- prayer, my faith, and my relationships. And to a lesser degree, laughter and great stories!
What I’ve learned about myself is that I need to learn more about myself!! HAHA!! And everything else, really.
Thank you so much for your channel, I love it!

[idi]

ISFP - That's about how I feel when there's no lockdown.
First, there's truthfully, factually, nothing to get up in the morning for, regardless of lockdown. Unless it's something like... you have a cat on insulin or know that only early mornings are quiet in your house (which is my case) there's really no justification in the world!
Second, I loved the pro tips. Making mundane tasks exciting, emphasizing communication... So much of it is coping methods for my regular life. It does feel like trying to survive, so when all the lockdowns started, I was so happy. Only it turned out I was an essential worker and could get out because I owned a horse, and that the few things the lockdown allowed to get out for were the only things I'd get out for anyway, so I've spent the last year and a half angry that I'm not actually in quarantine!
I need like... two weeks of alone time... please... The hardest part of lockdown for me is that everyone is home. I can easily Se in the house or in a 100 meter radius. I'm sorry to hear it's so tough on you.

[ReinhardMcKinky]

INTP. Little changed. I arguably went out more.

I learnt that I underestimated how many flaws there are in how our societies are structured. Does that count as learning something about myself? 😜

[ДіанаЦимбрикевич-зе]

About the 1st point
Even if I'm an INTJ, it doesn't cancel my biological need to go out.
So, on the lockdown, my mum would just send me out to buy some food. Because she was saying : "When you stay in more than 2 days, you become extremely agressive. But after spending a bit of time outside, you come back a new person"

[NoticeMeSenpaiii]

Lockdown is over for me (for now), but it was SO hard. I lost my enthusiasm for just about everything. Lost my energy. Lost my curiosity. I got to the same point you did of withdrawing from life and crying all the time. Spending a lot of time self-reflecting in my Fi opened up Pandora's box of suppressed emotions that I don't know how to deal with. It's always been so easy to distract myself from negative emotions through engaging with people, learning new things, thinking about & starting new hobbies, and sitting to think while periodically bouncing ideas off my loved ones. Somewhere along the lines, I died a little inside and just... stopped engaging with those things, which forced me to face some stuff I've been blissfully avoiding. Unfortunately, with lockdowns over, I can't seem to just lock them all back into some dark corner of my head where I don't have to deal with them. In the long run, I know it will be good for me to work through my pain & negative emotions to overcome them. In the mean time, I'm often apathetic and sad and entirely not myself.

I've never had great coping mechanisms, but it's something I've always meant to get better at. Lockdowns have given me the opportunity to work on it (there's always a silver lining). These aren't specific to ENFPs, but here are some of the ways I've been coping:
FaceTime with my sister & my freaking adorable little nephew
Playing online games with friends
Coming up with lots of ideas for really cool paintings (I haven't gotten around to painting them, but I came up with tons of exciting ideas)
Tending to my houseplant jungle that I've been neglecting a bit
Cooking my favorite foods and new foods in my favorite cuisines instead of constantly ordering delivery
Learning new things that interest me
Asking for more variety at work. A variety of intellectual stimuli and projects to bounce back and forth between keeps me sane. I'm now juggling 4 projects at work instead of just 1, so I have more enthusiasm for my job again.
Bubble baths
Dye my hair all the colors of the rainbow (ooh, I think I'm going to add tie dye to my list)

It isn't much, but it has been helping. I see myself inching closer and closer to my normal self. I also know a few colors that I should never, ever dye my hair. I'm planning on moving soon, so I'll probably get a therapist once I settle into my new city. For now, I'm just trying to get back to being myself again.

[Rats]

So I'm an INTJ that's been trying to improve inferior Se for like the past 5 years of or so. Primarily, because valuing practicality, discovery, and spontaneity are all very prevalent at college and for me most of those things are skills not traits. Spontaneity is usually the least of my priorities amongst those, but it does prove a useful skill to have when chaos happens. It also helps me with anxiety to improve Se so that way I'm not as dependent on my plans.

I find that in quarantine it's very easy for me to fall back in to some deeply unhealthy habits, such as constantly shutting myself away for fear of rejection, anxiety at small changes in routine, shutting myself away from new experiences for fear of sensory overstimulation, nihilism, forgetting that I need to eat, drink, etc. My living situation is basically 22 friends who bought a house together (fun-fact we have all 16 types living in the same house)

So, I find myself trying to stimulate Se same as my high Se housemates. Which in my case usually involves finding new games to play (digital or otherwise), finding new things to draw/ styles to draw in, going around my city and photographing anything interesting, learning more Spanish, Making games to play with my housemates, building things in my garage, and finding interesting things to learn/ talk about. Typically, most of what I do at least in part feeds back into my projects/ plans, but I feel there's a residual benefit to knowing how to shoot from the hip.

Often in quarantine I feel exhausted and like I the purpose I built has disintegrated, and maintaining skills I don't come by naturally is a part of maintaining the rest of my world. I also do things like keep really specific to do lists, and reminders on my phone to go eat something, and other things to that effect.