ESFJ Under Stress
ESFJs strive to support others and be someone others can rely on. If for some reason their aspirations or their efforts are not needed or are underappreciated, this brings them down. In this state, ESFJs will try to help everyone who they think needs it. When an ESFJ’s stress increases, in trying to make themselves feel better, they may start accusing others of not paying enough attention to their efforts towards a common cause.
ESFJs interact with the world around them relying mostly on their intuition. Because of this, situations that demand serious analytic processing stress them out.
What may cause stress for people with your personality type and preference strengths?
- Absence or severe deficiency of activities involving personable, warm and caring interactions with others.
- Activities requiring intensive and continuous application of analytical skills may exhaust them.
- Intensive focus on strategic plans may be stressful and exhausting to them.
- Situations in which the rules are often changing.
Behaviors of ESFJs under stress
- Try to fix others.
- Berate others, even for small things.
- May have emotional breakdowns when stress continues to climb.
- Feel undervalued or neglected by others.
- Develop unpleasant sensations all over the body.
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If you are an ESFJ
Stress relief methods
To help relieve frustration and stress, make use of the holistic methods available, such as tai chi, autogenous training, relaxation, yoga, meditation, etc. Having a hobby or keeping a pet are also effective ways to cope with stress. Your emotional well-being can be improved by engaging in sports and games, and it will help keep your spirits up, too. Take your family on a picnic or an interesting outing. Take your leisure activities seriously and don’t regret the time spent on them.
Examples of stress-preventing behavior
Knowing the typical behaviors and feelings of an ESFJ under stress can help you cope with stress. For example, if you notice that you often wish to improve the behavior of others (fix them), it’s quite possible that this is a sign of stress. It’s worth turning to holistic methods (relaxation, yoga, etc.) to deal with the overwhelm. When you start accusing others of undervaluing your efforts and dedication to them, note that these feelings may signal increasing stress levels. To get out of this state, try to change your surroundings and/or go on a trip that you’ve been meaning to take for a while.
The signs of stress in an ESFJ described above will help you notice when stress levels are increasing and take steps to prevent it from developing.