The INFJ Dietitian

A s an empath, I do pretty well at knowing how others feel.  But discerning my own feelings can be difficult.  The emotions of others can get so interspersed with my own that it feels like homogenized milk.  The reason for this is because of extroverted feeling (Fe).  Scott Morgan, INFJ YouTuber and certified MBTI  practitioner, has the best explanation of Fe that I have found online.  Here is the link to his video. One way I have improved this is through journaling.  Here are 20 daily journal prompts that have helped me to distill my feelings. 1. What did I do well? 2. What made me laugh? 3. What feedback did I receive? 4. What did my intuition tell me? 5. What did I do that made me happy? 6. What was I obsessed with? 7. What am I looking forward to? 8. What am I procrastinating? 9. What did I do or say that I want to change? 10. How did I show compassion for myself and others? 11. What significant events happened in the world? 1...

Do you have food allergies or food intolerance and what is the difference?  It is common to mix up the two if you don’t have an understanding of the body’s allergic response but I’ll save that explanation for another time.  Today I would like to share my experience with food intolerance. It began at a childhood friend’s house when my friend gave me a piece of gum.  I got a headache.  It happened again and I connected the dots.  Something in the gum was giving me a headache.  I stopped chewing the gum and it did not return. The next food intolerance episode was on a road trip.  The food my family ate in the car was different than the food we ate at home.  One of these foods was flavored potato chips.  I ate the chips and another headache appeared.  We didn’t get these special chips very often so it took a while to solve the mystery.  The second time it occurred, instead of flavored potato chips, it was flavored corn chips.  The...

No Social Pressure Running is a solitary event.   The closest thing to socially interacting with other athletes is running beside them or cheering for them on the sidelines.   Many INFJs like myself struggle with social anxiety.   When I was in school, running was a way for me to be social but without the pressure to carry on conversations. No Balls INFJs tend to not be a quick-reacting personality type so sports that require throwing, catching, hitting, or kicking balls will be more challenging for them. Time to Think INFJs are introverts and that means they prefer to spend more time in their head rather than interacting with others.   Training allows them to do that. Builds Confidence Running requires consistent effort and many hours of training to improve your fitness and pace.   Not everyone is willing to do this so your confidence can improve when you see the results of your perseverance. Lowers Anxiety and Depression It’s called...

If you’re an INFJ, you probably have wondered where other INFJs work.   I got my degree and have worked in dietetics but have also considered other careers.   I compared the distribution of the Myers-Briggs types for dietitians, librarians, and music education majors.   I hope you find this as interesting as I did. Below the types are listed as the percentage of the total.   The top 6 Myers-Briggs types for each career are highlighted with red (first), orange (second), yellow (third), green (fourth), blue (fifth), and purple (sixth).   The predominant preference for extroversion or introversion in the career are highlighted in pink. Type Dietitians Librarians Music Education INFP 7.4 7.3 1.0 INFJ 4.5 6.5 14.9 ENFP 4.9 6.0 2.6 ENFJ 5.8 5.1 34.4 INTP 2.1 9....

H ow would you fill in this sentence?   I was born to _____ .   I know what I would say but before I do, let me give you a little background. I have something called constitutional thinness .   I discovered it when I was doing research as a graduate student.   I have always been underweight.   When I was a toddler, the doctor told my mom to put cereal in a bottle for me to help me put on some pounds.   When I was in middle school, I got called down to the school nurse’s office and questioned about my weight and eating habits.   Looking back at my photos, I definitely looked anorexic. I started running in 6 th grade.   I wasn’t good at sports but I could run so I signed up for track and then cross country.   One season of high school cross country, instead of getting faster, I got slower.   My cross country coach told our team about iron-deficiency anemia and how it affects running.   I had a hunch I might be low in iron ...

O ur bodies do so much for us from digesting food, to solving complex problems, to getting us from here to there yet how often do we acknowledge the work they do for us?  How would you feel if you did all that work with no appreciation for your efforts?  Here are a few affirmations that I have used to help me reconnect with my body and give it the recognition and respect it deserves. I listen to my body. My body is important to me. I give my body what it needs. I am grateful for my body.   I love and respect my body. I treat my body with kindness. My body tells me what it needs. My body has limits.   I ask my body what it needs. I put my body’s needs first in my life. I am learning to spend more time with my body. My body’s needs are important. I respect my body’s limits. I take care of my body. My body is my friend.

When changes and unexpected interruptions happen in life, it is natural to feel disoriented and unproductive.  If you are feeling this way now, consider these questions at the end of each day to help you to focus on the things you can control. How did I spend my time? What is something that I learned? What emotions did I feel and why? How has my perspective changed? Do these questions resonate with you?  What has helped you to keep moving forward?

Whether it be traveling or staying indoors, we introverts and highly sensitive people need some basic supplies to keep us well balanced. 1. Earplugs 2. Snacks 3. Water bottle 4. Music 5. Affirmations 6. Calming scents 7. Herbal tea 8. Cap or hat 9. Lotion 10. Lip balm 11. Sunglasses 12. Jacket 13. Notebook 14. Book 15. Puzzlebook 16. Camera 17. Sketchbook 18. Pencil Bag 19. Chocolate What do you think?  Do you need any of these to survive?