INFP/ HSP

I’ve recently realize I’m INFP (introversion, intuition, feeling, perception) & HSP (highly sensitive person). 

“INFPs only make up 4-5% of the population. INFPs are introverted, idealistic, creative and driven by high values. INFPs also have strong interests in making the world a better place. In addition to wanting to gain a greater understanding of themselves and how they fit into the world, they are also interested in how they can best help others. People with this personality type spend a lot of time exploring their own purpose in life and thinking about how they can use their skills and talents to best serve humanity.” - @verywell

“HSP is actually a gene that causes 1 in 5 people to have a more sensitive nervous system than others. HSPs experience emotional intensity strongly and take longer time to process everything deeply. That’s why HSPs have strong empathy, are sensitive to subtle social stimulation, and can be easily overwhelmed. According to researcher and author Dr. Elaine Aron, being highly sensitive is a biological trait, meaning, it’s something HSPs are born with, and it’s not going away. It’s a trait found in over 100 other species, from cats to birds to horses. Research shows that there are actually differences in highly sensitive people’s brains compared to those of non-HSPs. Due to a biological difference, our nervous systems simply “digest” information more thoroughly.” - @introvertdear

They explain well why I’m not interested in money or fame but purposes and morals. As an HSP, I grew up with with self-doubt, shame, insecurity, anxiety, overwhelm, and self-criticism. I also grew up misunderstood and came to believe something was wrong with me; something shameful, something defective, something in me needs to be toughen up. I, too, learned to numb, hide, control, and punish myself as if I have sin to avoid the pain. My mind never shut off, chewing on emotions and ideas long after everyone else seemed to have moved on. I felt things deeply, from music to movies to words spoken by others. I would have insomnia nights rehearsing the words I want to say but I ended up not saying them at all.

Learning about how my brain processes, I’ve come to see myself and others like me so differently than I did before. I stopped wasting my energy in the wrong use trying to toughen up in corporate world to be like everyone else. Utilizing my commonly viewed weakness as strengths will be my way to go. My empathy power makes me emotional yet powerful. So happy to realize that I’m perfectly normal and people like me are usually the creative type. We are no less but just serve different purposes in life.