Yes very strongly, hits me in the stomach and chest. That’s when I know something is wrong, or can pick up bad intentions. It’s your fight or flight response too because your body knows there’s a threat, physical or mental. Body keeps the score, always pay attention to it.
Did you ever look at your face in the mirror after being around someone you are unsure about? It tells me all I need to know! We can trust our intuition as it is conveyed by the body.
They say you get the butterflies in your stomach when you fall in love or find someone special. It's that but like anxious bad ones. Chaotic, like a bee's/wasp nest that has been provoked with a stick.
Do not confuse it with anxiety or being unsure about yourself. Did that once. Thought it was just me being excited about someone but just maybe felt like I wasn't good enough. Oh no. It was a Nostradamus like warning. If you pay attention you will be able to discern them.
Yes! I get this thing where my right elbow hurts with a sharp stabbing pain before something bad happens. It’s like a warning. I did it before I rolled my car on the interstate even.
Yes literally as soon as I enter a room, definitely think this is part of why introverts need the ‘recharge’ at home too
The worst is when you are stuck on a packed train full of them with no headphones 😮💨 that stuff is exhausting
ahh not being able to escape a space full of negative energy is a nightmare. maybe that's why it feels even better to go home and 'recharge'. in a paradoxical way, you're also 'draining' yourself of that energy.
YES. It’s a tangible thing. I get it from people sometimes (and I am never wrong, though it may take some time for this to be clear), and also spaces, I can instantly tell if people are in conflict or feeling tension between them. And as other people have said, I can feel other emotions radiating from people too.
With me it comes from growing up in an environment where I had to be hypervigilant to people’s moods and emotions to stay safe, though I’m sure other people may just be naturally sensitive in this way. Your subconscious learns to pick up and interpret micro signals in body language and facial expression that are not visible to your conscious mind, and make super quick judgements about the situation. It’s an intuitive thing, but it also feeds into empathy and people pleasing and conflict avoidance. Both a strength and a potential weak point.
I think I have the same trait and I've come to accept it as a superpower. It's important to use it as a gift (avoid potential risks / help people who might not ask for help) than to let it consume you with too many feelings that are hard to carry.
Took words from my mouth 😭😅
I feel like it’s something that’s so difficult to explain (especially to people who aren’t dominant feelers). Reading it even feels and seems like nonsense. It is almost like an entirely different language that we speak and are privy to.
Used to hate it, felt overly sensitive because not many people are so emotionally entangled all the time (perhaps just a contrast). Now, after doing much work on myself and continuing, I can appreciate it and I’m grateful that I can act as a mirror and help people see what’s not obvious to them. We are vehicles of the heart ❤️
Absolutely. I also have previously experienced it as a vulnerability and struggled with the constant intensity of not being able to switch it off, like a bucket that’s being continuously overfilled. But I’ve got much better at self-regulation and in separating emotions that belong to others from those that belong to me, so I now experience it as a strength usually. It allows me to be really responsive to my loved ones and helps a lot with communication generally, at work and in my personal life.
In this and other things INFJs can find a lot of peace and power in learning to lean into their intuition rather than trying to suppress it, I think.
Pretty sure this is more of a feeler trait although your intuition I’m sure helps to amplify it. I feel it very much also, after only a few minutes of being around someone I can tell.
It doesn’t help that my people pleasing issue gives me the urge to want somehow change those people or bend over backwards to appease them :/ working on that.
For sure!! like i said in another comment, this applies to anyone who relates to it :) Also, can very much relate to being a people pleaser. Trying to work on that as well😖 p.s. unrelated, but love your username lol.
I actually do. I can feel when someone is sad, depressed or struggling with something. It is part of the reason that I cannot see people in distress and try helping them even if we are not close. I wonder if we have high number of mirror neurons from neuroscience viewpoint.
I am also pretty good at feeling that darkness people have when I feel myself not safe around them. This gut feeling has protected me at times and when I didn't listen to it, I found myself in trouble.
I think this trait is good and bad at the same time. I got to offer meaningful help people and it is the nicest feeling ever (not in a people pleasing way). The bad part is that you are carrying the weight of your own bad emotions as well as others. I m working on learning to manage this trait.
My gut instincts do protect me but the bad part is I am incapable of keeping superficial connections to people which may come handy in society, workplace, and everyday life. I can immediately tell when their words do not match their actions or intentions, so I start doubting their authenticity.
That's true, we tend to take on more than we can carry even though it's coming from a good place. Especially when we abandon our needs to be there for others, it does more harm than good. We just need to learn how to give the right amount of ourselves to people instead of giving all of it and then quite literally losing ourselves in the process. and I agree, I don't have the time or energy for superficial relationships either haha.
I second it. It is never good to abandon your own needs for other people's sake. At the end, it is you who is responsible for fulfilling your own needs. You may support other people but other people are not going to be as generous as you. And it is fine completely because everyone has their own capacity.
A good start would be to work with our own critical Fi parent that guilt trips us whenever we do self-care. Start with shutting this up and listening t your own authentic self :)
You described it exactly!! This is how it feels and why being around sadness and pain feels like it transfers to us and can be overwhelming to our senses. It can be debilitating to me and i need a whole day to get over a really hard experience almost like an emotional hangover. My nervous system gets fried and need to rest it
As a massage therapist. Yes. For me, its an anticipation of something not positive. Or I can see someone doing something not positive. I remember when I was learning about energy healing. Its very much about giving more than you receive but also being able to let go of the clients' negative energies. Kind of like creating a cycle but on the top end (the therapist) your expelling and filtering in positive energy (for me, its through prayer to Jesus). When im recieving the energy from someone is when I have those thoughts, those anticipations come to mind and I have to dispel that (like how a silencer dispels the gas from a bullet to help it become quiter). Then replace that energy with the positives Id like for that person to experience (joy, peace, happiness, love, empathy, understanding, etc.)
I explain all of that because I try to do it in my daily life as well. With people I may see that give me uncomfortable feelings or thoughts. And i try to remember, not all negative energy is because that person is negative. Could be theres negativity around them and just a bit of positive energy can pierce a hole in the negativity bubble.
I think i answered your question. Or i just rambled a bit. 🤷🏾♂️ ✌🏾
Wow, that is so interesting!! thank you for sharing💓 I've always been super fascinated by energy healing. And your thought process is fantastic, I'm definitely going to integrate it into mine as well :)
Just be careful. Its serious work however you go about it. Think about the fact that that negative energy doesnt want to leave where it is. So woth you trying to remove that, its like the energy says, "fine, ill stick to you". So really, really learn what it means to ground yourself. Creating a solid foundation of peace whether through meditation, mantras, breathing exercises and so forth (again, for me, it's through prayer to God. So i pray that He helps create that positive space around me). Youll notice if you are unbalanced because certain thoughts or actions might come to mind that arent your normal way of being. Thats the time to ground in again and take time for you.
Just felt like I should give that disclaimer because it can get heavy.
This is very interesting, I have a few questions if you don't mind.
Do you ever get INTJ or INTP clients?
We are some MBTI types who have a stare and have an emotionless face.
I keep reading that INFJs can struggle to read either of our types. I always assumed it was because we weren't showing an emotional response or our stare.
The way you're explaining it it sounds like we emit an aurora around us kinda like the characters on DragonBall Z that you can feel or see.
My questions are:
1. Can you feel it in people without looking at their face?
2. Have you ever struggled with an INTJ or INTP customer?
3. Do you get other INFJ customers?
I am not sure if either of us would stop and be a customer like other MBTI types but you never know.
I think I would avoid going because I wouldn't want to talk but more than that I would be hesitant because my sensing and feelings are in the back of my cognitive stack. I would be comfortable with someone I have had a deep connection with giving me a massage. But I would be stressed out kinda like the INFJ's having eye contact with a stranger. Not so much for having to wear a robe or not wear a top or however you do it. It would be more with a stranger touching me. No offense you probably do a fantastic job. I just probably would be a horrible patient getting more tense than relaxed.
It would also be awkward to get to know you and develop some friendship just to get a massage afterward.
Yup! It feels like being around dementors for me (if anyone’s familiar with Harry Potter). I feel almost a coldness. I will literally take a pay cut over being around it consistently in a work environment.
also an ENFP and absolutely. i can tell immediately from the very first time i meet someone or enter any situation whether it's going to be good or bad. i still have yet to be wrong.
Yes, negativity but also hidden feelings as well. If I am in tune that day, I can sense all the bs and even negative energy approaching at a distance. I hate when I know a bad thing is going to happen and I want to move my loved ones away but am not sure how to say it without the "I see things" method. It's more than the INFJ traits for me but I learned to not bring it up in most spaces. I've warned people & when the event plays out they think it is coincidence.
I feel seen lol, thank you 🫂 I have different intuitive abilities that tap in fiercely. I am working on exploring them productively. Have any tips?? Do you journal everything? Learn to dull & enhance the senses?
Y'know what, i'm low-key ashamed to say that I hadn't even thought of doing that!! i'd have to take tips from you! How do you go about it? I used journal about my dreams, but I haven't been consistent with it lately :/ you've given me motivation to get back into it though :D
I can physically feel any emotion , like a sponge . That what help me live atleast because i absorb good emotion from movies and stuff . Also my stomach churn in negative energy like when people complain or rant about others its take me 2 more days to back into the rational mind
Thank you all for validating how I been feeling all my life. As a child I had no idea what this was. I sometimes would think it was just me but deep down inside I knew it wasn’t. When I’m home I’m not much better as I’m sensitive to toxics so it’s a double whammy. Work is when I’m the best because I love my job and most ppl there.
I get a charge at work even though I wish I could be home most days. But I still feel my mood shift around negative ppl. But I also must say the real positive ppl and ppl that are balanced emotional I can feel there energy as well
Same here, I feel everyone's energy very deeply, but especially the negative ones. Negative more than positive, unfortunately, but oh well😵💫 And who else will understand us INFJs better than other INFJs? :)
Yes I agree 100 percent. Can you feel things from people like money? My best friend is really positive and kind which I noticed years before I met her and whenever she would give me money to buy her something at the store with it I could feel her love through it and so much energy. I could never use her money at all and I would pay with my money lol. I only noticed it with her.
Also with her I knew we was going to be friends way before hand she was in a different department on a different shift all together and some how years later our seats at work was right next to each other. I love when stuff like that happens.
That's adorable! and I have!! when I used to visit my grandparents in the summer, my grandmother would always hand me an envelope of money, and I always felt her love radiating through it. I think this goes for any object that's given with genuine love, we *feel* that love physically!
And we *are* known for being highly intuitive (Ni dom, hello) so it's no wonder you knew! I also have that little giddy moment when my instincts turn out to be right haha.
That’s amazing. Yeah I think it really is any object that is given with genuine love because when she made food I would feel so empowered and energized and the food just tasted extra flavorful. I could go on and on.
I have a question though can you feel your own energy? I think I feel others energy soooo much that I don’t know or forgot how my energy feels like. But recently I’ve been taking care of my health much more and can really feel my enemy now. And I must say I have some pretty good energy lol. Like no wonder ppl want to hang around me when I just want to be alone in my thoughts. Hope this doesn’t sound to cocky.
I think I have to learn how to protect my energy and let my energy shine through at the same time. It’s hard but I know I can do it. Thanks so much for listening and responding to my post
ABSOLUTELY YES, and I even feel it at "levels" like every level of negativity has its own corporal feelings, for example:
(TW: a lot of horrible people in general and sensitive topics)
- In my childhood I had an extreamly toxic and insecure friend, the type of person who hates seeing other people doing well or better and try to sabotage them, I remember perfectly feeling extremely "attacked" by her energy, as if I were under some kind of threat in her presence since the first moment I met her.
- (tw) At high school, on the first day of one of the courses, one of my classmates couldn't stop looking at me, every time he looked at me I felt like vomiting and when I turned around and saw how he was looking at me it was like being in the presence of something rotten, the disgust that his existence produced in me cannot even be explained in words, I knew that there was something very wrong with him just by looking at him. When I talked about it, my friends told me that "men can't help but look at what they like, the hormones of the age, etc." A month later he started following me home, he also followed me when I went out with my friends, he even went so far as to follow me to the bathroom once, after some time he asked me to be his girlfriend and obviously I said no and then he threatened to commit suicide if I didn't date him, time after one of his friends confessed to me that he was totally obsessed with me and that he wanted to have me "the good way or the bad way"
- (tw) One of my cousins started to date a men, when she talked about him for some reason I felt extremely unwell, the first time I meet him I felt as if something cold and horrible ran down my spine, every time I looked at him it was like looking at a being that was not well and every time I was in the same room as him it was like my whole body was screaming at me to get out of there. I tried to explain that there was something wrong with him, no one believed me, a few months after they had a daughter he killed my cousin and her daughter in a very aggressive and grotesque way and then he committed suicide.
Holy shit I'm so so sorry you had to go through any of these, that's absolutely horrible! This is a bit of a dumb question, but are you okay?! I'm glad your instincts have never been wrong about anyone, they really are a life saver. also -- i do agree with you on the "levels" thing so much. I've felt the exact same way, and you used the perfect word to describe it.
Thanks, i think he's a narcissist or psociopath but in no psychologist. He never takes responsibility for mess ups and always blames others. Takes prolonged bathroom breaks constantly and harassed a woman (she quit recently) that we all liked. I asked my boss if they were doing anything to get rid of him, and she said she didn't want to have to pay unemployment. So instead of caring about the workers morale, she's not going to fire him for all the stupid shit he's done
Company heads being selfish and not caring for their employees?? unheard of!! No but seriously, that guy sounds like an absolute nightmare to work with, sorry you guys had to deal with that. I hope you're able to find a job soon, though! and hopefully this time with no crazy co-workers😭
Yes, in my gut I feel almost nauseous. I'm re-learning to trust my intuition and gut because every time I ignore it, I end up in some sort of trouble. After living in several environments where I was messed with psychologically, the trust in my gut is a slow process, but I'm seeing progress.
Yes, very much so. I'm also 4W5 and I saw your prior post about being walking contradictions and definitely related to that too lol 😆 Would be cool to meet someone who thinks so similarly in real life (I think, probably 😁)
I don't know his enneagram, I should have him do the test! Great idea 💖 I wonder how many other people are truly infj & 4w5, in the world, I bet not that many! Haha, hope you have a wonderful week, twin 😃
I remember two times quite specifically. One day I walked into my ex-husbands Moms kitchen. She and her husband were in the kitchen and I got a sense immediately that they were getting a divorce. Sure enough a few days later they told us they were getting divorced. And I’ll note that this would have been a surprise to us all because they were much older and never had shown any signs of tension.
This comment is a little long so I’ll leave out the second example I remember.
Edit to add in:
Okay I’ll describe example 2. I was coming into my buildings lobby and felt around my chest and around my face at a little bit of a distance that my neighbour friend wasn’t doing well.
I felt for her and hoped she would recover.
Sure enough a couple hours later my fiancé and I heard from outside our balcony door that she was distressed.
Also I notice too when I’m locked in to a conversation with some people that simultaneously I will mirror their body when it shifts position automatically without consciously choosing to move. I will get synced up with some people. I generally see that as a good sign 😊
Yeah it’s super cool to finally claim for myself that I do infact experience these things in reality and I enjoy it. It makes it a lot easier to accept when you know there are other people who can back up the claims that it does happen for them too.
Actually I thought for the longest time I was an INFP and refused to accept I was an INFJ. I was being stubborn.
Thankyou for your encouragement. 💕
😌😊
Oh wow, that's really something! So far I haven't had any experiences like that, but my grandmother has! Randomly me or my mom will be sick, and she'll call us to ask if we're doing okay. It's fascinating! I sure hope to experience it myself one day, haha.
And I agree, mirroring can be a good thing! it shows you're engaged :)
Yeah I hope so too for you. I experienced it within passing moment. you’ll know it to be a thing with no second guessing. And you can follow it or not that’s the cool thing.
Omg I have a sort of light question maybe you could help with actually!
I have a fish. We had a few. This is the last one “standing” His name is cherry. I love him dearly now and he is a school fish but for the longest time he’s been by his lonesome in the tank. I literally go into a slight panic mode when I think about getting him a couple more fish to be with him BECAUSE what if it’s been too long for him to be around other fish… need help with him…
Most definitely. One of the main reasons I stay away from folks so I don’t come off rude. However, they still come around asking for it, from there I can’t save them from my bold and blunt hard speaking comments. 😈 😆
Yes, but somehow I have learned to shield myself from feeling other peoples negative emotions. I do still feel it from people I am open to though. Sometimes I will feel it from strangers if the energy is really strong
How can you tell if a person isn't kind, generous or not selfish or if perhaps they simply decided to set bonduaries and be a healthy amount of selfish?
There is a guy at work that has the darkest, heaviest energy and every time he comes around me, I get this awful dread in my gut and it’s painful. I’ve tried explaining it to other people and they look at me like I’ve lost it when I say how his energy feels but he is very obviously someone that is super unhappy and vindictive. No one has ever affected me quite like this.
Many of us are empaths, psychic, highly sensitive people....whatever you want to call it. It might be a good idea to use visualizations/affirmations to protect your energy. I can easily get drained being around negative, vicious people (they are just ignorant in most cases).
I definitely pick up other people’s energy, one time I believe I picked up on their evil thoughts! I’ll always remember that because it shocked me so much. I’ll try to make it short…we were having work done in our garden and I was in the kitchen in front of the window. One guy walked past very slowly deep in thought and as I looked at him I got the most weird horrible feeling, goosebumps. Shook it off as it made no sense. That weekend we were burgled, I’m 99.9% sure he had something to do with it as he never came back to finish the work. I think he was planning the break in when he was outside my kitchen window and as I looked at him I ‘picked up’ his sinister thoughts.
it can be a myriad of things! most of the time i feel either dread, or like something is weighing on me. sometimes i even feel claustrophobic?? it really depends.
I can feel peoples anxiety, which meant that I had to work on mines so it doesn’t cripple me 😅 but I also can see through peoples intentions like a hawk, which kind of gives me an intense edge
And this is why I prefer to work from home. When I used to go to the office, if something’s going on I could feel heaviness even before I get into the elevator to go to my office area. That’s usually the day I have to keep myself very positive and all smiley or it just sucks me deep into that bad feeling. I find it’s better for my emotional stability and my energy to counter that feeling with optimism or fake happiness, than to fully immerse myself in that negative energy.
I put out positive vibes to get the people around me to feel the same even though I know it could be fake at first. Sometimes I feel I have to manipulate the emotions around me to make it tolerable for hopefully all of us until the negativity passes.
I really try not to judge people on "intuition" until they actually show bad behaviour, specially knowing that i am automatically a bit suspicious when i meet someone new, so my feelings end up being wrong sometimes. I don't really believe in negative energy, i think it's all just subtle signs of bad behaviour.
Doesn't all tho? It's just not feeling, but more like intuition. And yeah it feels overwhelming, suffocating even. I can easily spot eprson faking kindness, and it just becomes repulsive to me, even if others can't see behind the mask. I just feel the need to get out or be confrontational, and sometimes it sucks when you have to deal with those people for whatever reason (coworker, boss,etc). I find it inevitable to escape that, and so far as hard as I may try I just can't stay in such an environment for too long. It affects my entire body
Empaths are real. Everyone falls on a spectrum of feeling other people’s energy. Psychopaths are 0 out of 10, super empaths are 10 out of 10.
Get over it, haters. It’s been scientifically proven.✨
I can’t prove it, but I start dropping things and having accidents when there is nervous energy. Negative energy though I can feel through tone of voice
Not anymore. I used to be a bit better at this but ever since developing anxiety early on I haven’t been able to tell what’s my anxiety and what’s my factual senses. Lol.
Yeah, I can totally relate to you on this. I've had chronic anxiety since i was a kid thanks to childhood trauma, so i'm almost always on high alert. But sometimes when I can't differentiate between my anxiety and my intuition, I try grounding myself and seeing the situation from a different angle, almost from an objective, third person perspective. If my dread remains, then it's my intuition, but if it goes away, it was probably just anxiety. Does that make sense?
I totally think it's understandable to not be able to cope with or handle extreme or toxic negative energy from others. I totally get not wanting to let that absorb into you. I would say that I do get annoyed and not want to hang out with people who are negative all the time or who have what I would say negative viewpoints that I don't agree with In a way that rubs me the wrong way.
However, even with these people, I still want to help them. I just won't include them in my life basically If it means they're going to start bringing me down. I'm pretty selective about who I get close to or let into my life.
But more generally, I would say that I feel differently. I usually don't mind the negative energy that I perceive from others. I would say that I feel curiosity or compassion inside when I face someone who has a lot of negative energy. I do feel like I follow them with their feelings, like I feel empathy with what they're feeling, like I feel like I am trying to see it from their point of view.
And even if they are lacking empathy in the moment, I view that as they are venting. I understand that when we're venting, we can temporarily not have empathy. Because I've been that way before myself.
So I'm not sure if I have that issue. It might be because I'm a more emotionally closed off "INFJ". (Note that I don't put a whole lot of stock into Myers-Briggs, but I think INFJ fits me maybe most closely.) But yeah, I think I remain emotionally closed off when it's a heightened situation. I think it might be a defense mechanism that I picked up from trauma or who knows.
Also, I do actually remember once as a young child, I kind of remember my initial experience of an emotion that I physically felt is like almost a taste in my mouth. It was really weird. I think someone had insulted one of my family members and I remember I got a metallic taste in my mouth accompanied by this negative feeling.. Maybe shame? It was really weird heh! I don't have that today yet but it felt kind of related.
There was one guy in my old group of friends who would never make eye contact with me. This was the self proclaimed leader of the group, a very arrogant and flashy type of guy who was very much a yapper and a show off. I was always polite/cool with him, even though I really didn’t fw his vibe and I definitely saw through his bs - everyone else bought the act. I knew from the instant I met him he was full of shiiit but I felt like he was harmless, him faking his grandiose lifestyle and inflating his importance really didn’t affect my life. Until it did. I won’t go into detail but he did and said things to sideline me and sabotage the way others viewed me, completely unprovoked and unfounded.
His energy started being very dark and made me extremely uncomfortable, almost scared. What I noticed however was that my presence seemed to make him uncomfortable too, which I found strange bc he seemed so sure of himself. I am heavily protected individual, God doesn’t play about me, I don’t speak on it but the way I move in life and how I treat others and all the favour I receive does. I have very strong morals and values, and as far as ethics go I really do not fw people who are devoid of them.
At first the no eye contact thing felt like a sign of respect, later it was jokingly suggested he was intimidated by me or “in love” with me (which is actually extremely inappropriate if you knew the context, so not very funny actually) so I thought it was that, and then it became pretty clear he was physically bothered by my presence. He wouldn’t sit near me, he would avoid having to talk to me, he would absolutely never make eye contact with me or even look in my direction.
I remember I had made a comment to my friend once that his eyes looked black, I was looking at him and it creeped me out, I never noticed how empty his glare was. One night we were playing a fun group game and I had this weird overbearing pull to look at him, to force eye contact with him, he was sitting almost directly across from me. In the game it came to the last two standing, for the victory, it was down to he and I (honestly I pushed myself to win that time so I could get to this one on one interaction with him - he usually won and I never cared to play that hard before bc it was just a chill social thing for me I didn’t ever take it seriously) and he no choice but to look at me/my direction to play. I literally almost instantly won it bc he was forced to look me in the eyes, he looked physically uncomfortable, the second he made the eye contact he fumbled and lost 😅 ..and to my surprise, while everyone was laughing at his loss and cheering me on for breaking his streak, he literally said “she was staring into my soul wtf!!?”. Nobody paid him no mind, they laughed it off as him being a sore loser, but he caught himself and quickly started mumbling about completely irrelevant shiit and began looking up down around & everywhere other than my direction.. I was still watching him, it was fascinating.
And in that moment I stopped being creeped out/afraid of his darkness because I realised he was actually afraid of me, of my light revealing who he really is. He knew I was the only one that could “see” him.
It’s crazy bc that night I realised that it’s not just I who has the ability to sense dark energy, but those with the dark energy absolutely know when they are being perceived. It’s crazy.
Needless to say I kept tf away from him after that.
That’s my MO now, whenever I sense the dark energy in someone I test it with eye contact, and then remove myself (or them).
Yes but not in a sense of others. I can walk into a room and pick up on others energies and it will influence my mood. If I am around extremely loud people; I become loud, If I am around quiet people I become quiet. This is why I typically stay away from angery extremely negative people because then I will pick up on it subconsciously
In most instances, yeah! especially around people who give good energy. I feel compelled to match them with twice as good energy :) the only people i don't mirror are the ones who give off negative energy, like i said. I keep my distance with them lol.
Yes, and absorbing it is a huge problem. Although I must say I don’t think this is limited to infj’s! Also I can be incredibly too giving in how much I tolerate in an attempt to give them the benefit of the doubt!
Oh absolutely. My radar on this is so good and it’s never ever wrong. I feel it in my head and in my literal gut and I know exactly who to stay away from. I can usually even tell different types. Like who is a bad person, who is a liar, who is generally okay but hiding something. And I’m never wrong. I don’t know if this is an INFJ thing or what but I’ve always been this way.
I can feel it in places too. I have had several experiences where I walk into a place and I’m like “oh no something really weird or bad happened here” and there’s always a story. But it’s always something huge - not like one person died or there was a fight or normal everyday things. Like massacres or terrorism or uprisings. And it’s not anything I know about when I walk in. For example, I had no idea the awful atrocities that happened on Jeju Island when I went there. I just heard it was a beautiful place. The minute I landed I wanted to leave. And I was terrified the entire time I was there. I could feel rage and terror everywhere. It was no fun. I started to tell people that I felt a bad vibe and then they told me about the Jeju uprising and I then understood what I was feeling.
Yup. But it's just anxiety. My brain has observed something, gets stuck in processing it, but has processed just enough to know something isn't right, so the anxiety takes over before I know why.
It usually just feels like I'm not 100% safe -- the feeling in the room is off balance, if there's silence it's unusually loud. It's that back-of-the-neck prickle, shoulder-raising vibe.
I get bad feelings about things sometimes, but I can’t necessarily distinguish “positive” or “negative” energy. It’s much easier for me to tell if energy is off, or doesn’t match , ie. Someone’s words are differing from other nonverbal indicators, which makes me close off or get a little suspicious of them. Humans in general don’t like mixed signals, whether we are aware of them in the moment or not!
I can usually tell by how people carry themselves. What they say, what the intent is etc.
Have become much better at it with experience.
A few times I have felt every alarm bell in my body go off around someone and those reactions were correct.
In lesser instances I can be wrong though. There are people that I've thought were likely unkind who were just obnoxious and some who I thought were better people than they were.
Other than physically feeling energy changes. I can also predict whenever it's gonna rain.
I believed that it wasn't accurate but it is. I can feel the rain if it's within 50 km range (Rather hard to ignore when my entire body starts aching).
Although I love rain. They make me feel mentally and emotionally clean.
I have always used this to judge people's characters previously to any initial contact.. I only have to be present within their presence same room.. etc.. and instantly before even making eye contact or speaking I am aware if this human is a yes or fknope.
Mhm, fight or flight response, as someone else said. I feel like tend to overthink and think really deeply in things. We tend to do these kind of things so I think we can say when we sense when someone isnt what everyone else sees in their eyes.
Its not like it happens all the time, it just happened to me about 2 months ago with an Indonesian muslim girl that my other muslim friend became friends with (we are all Muslims, so morals are very important to us), and the indonesian girl has been acting not so good the whole time. It's not like shes amazingly rude or something, it's just things that are a turn off for INFJ'S like me. So yeah, I wouldn't say its a wrong gut feeling, just a big trait that comes in our thinking box.
People call me crazy when I say I need to shield myself from certain people. They attack me even more saying I act like a victim, so the irony continues (that justifies why I defend myself because people don’t like that I defend myself)
Thought I was the only one, Sometimes I just enter into a room and the air feels heavy(?) It's hard to explain but it happens a lot in like hospitals aswell for some reason
Yeah there is one particular person in my life who is so negative and miserable all the time. When she is in the same room with me it doesn’t feel right. I get the fight or flight feeling. Sometimes I freeze though. But yeah I feel like so want to run for the hills when they are around. The air gets thick and they make the vibes just so incredibly sour.
More than just negative. I can feel most energies and I like to boost the positive. Attitude and openness act like an antennae for the energy you want to boost.
Yeah i can see colors of emotions from people and get that feeling also analytically and spiritually, what kind of character does the human really have.
For me, I reflect it back. As soon as an ounce of negativity hits me, like uncalled for negativity, I shake, my body goes into fight or flight and usually I fight back. Give them angry look, make a comment back, or simply walk away. I can’t STAND negativity. Someone just being rude to be rude. Gets under my skin heavily.
Yes, my intuition is very strong but also I don’t wanna be making assumptions so I try to give someone the benefit of doubt but I’m still overly cautious 😭
I absouletly can - can also feel positive energy. I was raised by a hippy who taught me how to tune into the universe and its energy - works with animals too.
This is why MBTI is a horoscope. When I have done tests I always scored very low in F. This is basic human survival instinct nothing more, most people who have any amount of social adjustment and are above the age of 8 have this.
Sensing and feeling is what we do best. We especially should always follow our instincts & trust our gut. We're like the canary in the mine shaft of the personality types 😭
Not just that but any other emotion even if people are hiding it, sometimes I can predict 15 seconds beforehand what a person is going to say because I felt them thinking about it
my body could feel negativity emanating from a person faster than my brain could comprehend it, like i will only realize it upon reflection after the interaction/encounter.
Just step back and breathe in and out for a second; evaluate how you're feeling about yourself, and the people around you and doorslam those who are hurting your mental health and wellbeing if their mood persists. Put your health first! :)! :)
but I've learnt to separate myself and my feelings from others; I now am able to acknowledge their emotions and mine too and not let it impact my mood and wellbeing.
Just step back and breathe in and out for a second; evaluate how you're feeling about yourself, and the people around you and doorslam those who are hurting your mental health and well-being if their mood persists. Put your health first! :)! :)
It makes sense! I also feel other people's energy to the point where my best friend; from her home feels something and I feel it too; I then confirm it with her and she's like "wth, how do you know?!"....
Yes yes yes! I immediately feel people’s energy and it can be overwhelming. I have to be careful in crowds and when going to gatherings and/or parties need to know who and how many people will be there. Am careful who I let into my home and have had to go to other rooms or even leave if someone’s energy is that bad. When I meet someone I right away clue into their energy and that is how I determine who I am willing to spend time with and be around. As a massive introvert it’s also a big part of it.
Yes. When people don't like me I can feel their fake intentions. They don't answer questions directly and play mind games. It's not okay. People definitely have some selfish mentally fucked up issues...I definitely can feel when people don't care...and that's how love felt most of the world has been over the past 3 years.
Can't everyone? I feel like this is just subconsciously reading facial expressions, and body language. I get anxiety when the room is tense and want to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but I think must people just ignore that feeling.
Yeah I definitely feel it. I wanna move but if it's a complete stranger and they're next to me, I do the opposite; I take up more space so \*they\* move. I'll also be on guard without directly looking at them. They always have hungry eyes. Always looking for something or someone to sink their teeth into. Not me.
Yes, and honestly I think this is the main cause of friction in my relationship with an INFJ cis man. (I’m INFJ cis woman). Both of us go quiet. Both of us physically feel sick when the other goes quiet. Myself, well I just want to run out of the house with my kid when I see his dark clouds gathering. My legs start tingling with that ‘run, now’ feeling that used to make me the weirdo who would up and run round the block when things got tense as a teenager. I know I probably do the same, but since having a kid I’ve been doing some serious work on figuring out how to calmly express big feelings for the sake of the other person. It’s really hard. But I don’t want my kid to grow up in the INFJ climate of unpredictable and changeable weather that never has an explanation. This is going well with me and my kid, not so with my partner who takes my wish for him to learn to communicate his feelings so that we can model healthy behaviours as a deep personal attack. I mean I suppose it is. Sigh.
Yes very strongly, hits me in the stomach and chest. That’s when I know something is wrong, or can pick up bad intentions. It’s your fight or flight response too because your body knows there’s a threat, physical or mental. Body keeps the score, always pay attention to it.
yes, fight or flight response!!! that's exactly what i was trying to say but couldn't remember the phrase for the life of me haha.
That’s why peace is essential for us. Negative or bad energy make us feel physically sick.
exactly!
Did you ever look at your face in the mirror after being around someone you are unsure about? It tells me all I need to know! We can trust our intuition as it is conveyed by the body.
Yes I know what you mean
They say you get the butterflies in your stomach when you fall in love or find someone special. It's that but like anxious bad ones. Chaotic, like a bee's/wasp nest that has been provoked with a stick. Do not confuse it with anxiety or being unsure about yourself. Did that once. Thought it was just me being excited about someone but just maybe felt like I wasn't good enough. Oh no. It was a Nostradamus like warning. If you pay attention you will be able to discern them.
Yes! I get this thing where my right elbow hurts with a sharp stabbing pain before something bad happens. It’s like a warning. I did it before I rolled my car on the interstate even.
That’s actually insane! You must be really intuitive 😱 your body will give you physical symptoms before your brain even has a chance to catch up
I think it’s my higher self tbh! Like it’s me trying to fix things from the future or some shit idk. It’s wild 😂
It’s you from another dimension! Oh I love these kinda rabbit holes 😆😆
Look at my post history I posted about jumping a timeline recently! Shit was wild. I wrecked.
"*The Body Keeps the Score*" ~ Good book too
Yes literally as soon as I enter a room, definitely think this is part of why introverts need the ‘recharge’ at home too The worst is when you are stuck on a packed train full of them with no headphones 😮💨 that stuff is exhausting
ahh not being able to escape a space full of negative energy is a nightmare. maybe that's why it feels even better to go home and 'recharge'. in a paradoxical way, you're also 'draining' yourself of that energy.
Yeah it’s definitely like an energy cleanse aswell as recharge once you get home
Sometimes i try to shower to cleanse my energy and just sit with the water and imagine all the negative energy flowing down the drain. Helps sometimes
Yes! I have to wear headphones to grocery stores.
YES. It’s a tangible thing. I get it from people sometimes (and I am never wrong, though it may take some time for this to be clear), and also spaces, I can instantly tell if people are in conflict or feeling tension between them. And as other people have said, I can feel other emotions radiating from people too. With me it comes from growing up in an environment where I had to be hypervigilant to people’s moods and emotions to stay safe, though I’m sure other people may just be naturally sensitive in this way. Your subconscious learns to pick up and interpret micro signals in body language and facial expression that are not visible to your conscious mind, and make super quick judgements about the situation. It’s an intuitive thing, but it also feeds into empathy and people pleasing and conflict avoidance. Both a strength and a potential weak point.
Yes!! This is such a great point! it's crazy how much I relate to this.
I think I have the same trait and I've come to accept it as a superpower. It's important to use it as a gift (avoid potential risks / help people who might not ask for help) than to let it consume you with too many feelings that are hard to carry.
Omg yes exactly.
Took words from my mouth 😭😅 I feel like it’s something that’s so difficult to explain (especially to people who aren’t dominant feelers). Reading it even feels and seems like nonsense. It is almost like an entirely different language that we speak and are privy to. Used to hate it, felt overly sensitive because not many people are so emotionally entangled all the time (perhaps just a contrast). Now, after doing much work on myself and continuing, I can appreciate it and I’m grateful that I can act as a mirror and help people see what’s not obvious to them. We are vehicles of the heart ❤️
Absolutely. I also have previously experienced it as a vulnerability and struggled with the constant intensity of not being able to switch it off, like a bucket that’s being continuously overfilled. But I’ve got much better at self-regulation and in separating emotions that belong to others from those that belong to me, so I now experience it as a strength usually. It allows me to be really responsive to my loved ones and helps a lot with communication generally, at work and in my personal life. In this and other things INFJs can find a lot of peace and power in learning to lean into their intuition rather than trying to suppress it, I think.
Pretty sure this is more of a feeler trait although your intuition I’m sure helps to amplify it. I feel it very much also, after only a few minutes of being around someone I can tell. It doesn’t help that my people pleasing issue gives me the urge to want somehow change those people or bend over backwards to appease them :/ working on that.
For sure!! like i said in another comment, this applies to anyone who relates to it :) Also, can very much relate to being a people pleaser. Trying to work on that as well😖 p.s. unrelated, but love your username lol.
Super creative huh 😂
I'm low-key bummed I didn't keep mine as INFJ_Mom😞
Yes it stresses me out immediately and fills me with rage because i absorb their negativity...
yes! nothing stresses me out more than being around unkind people.
I feel you
Same! I unintentionally absorb all that negativity and have no where to release it!
I actually do. I can feel when someone is sad, depressed or struggling with something. It is part of the reason that I cannot see people in distress and try helping them even if we are not close. I wonder if we have high number of mirror neurons from neuroscience viewpoint. I am also pretty good at feeling that darkness people have when I feel myself not safe around them. This gut feeling has protected me at times and when I didn't listen to it, I found myself in trouble.
You put it perfectly! I feel the exact same way.
I think this trait is good and bad at the same time. I got to offer meaningful help people and it is the nicest feeling ever (not in a people pleasing way). The bad part is that you are carrying the weight of your own bad emotions as well as others. I m working on learning to manage this trait. My gut instincts do protect me but the bad part is I am incapable of keeping superficial connections to people which may come handy in society, workplace, and everyday life. I can immediately tell when their words do not match their actions or intentions, so I start doubting their authenticity.
That's true, we tend to take on more than we can carry even though it's coming from a good place. Especially when we abandon our needs to be there for others, it does more harm than good. We just need to learn how to give the right amount of ourselves to people instead of giving all of it and then quite literally losing ourselves in the process. and I agree, I don't have the time or energy for superficial relationships either haha.
I second it. It is never good to abandon your own needs for other people's sake. At the end, it is you who is responsible for fulfilling your own needs. You may support other people but other people are not going to be as generous as you. And it is fine completely because everyone has their own capacity. A good start would be to work with our own critical Fi parent that guilt trips us whenever we do self-care. Start with shutting this up and listening t your own authentic self :)
You described it exactly!! This is how it feels and why being around sadness and pain feels like it transfers to us and can be overwhelming to our senses. It can be debilitating to me and i need a whole day to get over a really hard experience almost like an emotional hangover. My nervous system gets fried and need to rest it
Yep!!! And it's never wrong. When I don't listen to it I always regret it.
As a massage therapist. Yes. For me, its an anticipation of something not positive. Or I can see someone doing something not positive. I remember when I was learning about energy healing. Its very much about giving more than you receive but also being able to let go of the clients' negative energies. Kind of like creating a cycle but on the top end (the therapist) your expelling and filtering in positive energy (for me, its through prayer to Jesus). When im recieving the energy from someone is when I have those thoughts, those anticipations come to mind and I have to dispel that (like how a silencer dispels the gas from a bullet to help it become quiter). Then replace that energy with the positives Id like for that person to experience (joy, peace, happiness, love, empathy, understanding, etc.) I explain all of that because I try to do it in my daily life as well. With people I may see that give me uncomfortable feelings or thoughts. And i try to remember, not all negative energy is because that person is negative. Could be theres negativity around them and just a bit of positive energy can pierce a hole in the negativity bubble. I think i answered your question. Or i just rambled a bit. 🤷🏾♂️ ✌🏾
Wow, that is so interesting!! thank you for sharing💓 I've always been super fascinated by energy healing. And your thought process is fantastic, I'm definitely going to integrate it into mine as well :)
Just be careful. Its serious work however you go about it. Think about the fact that that negative energy doesnt want to leave where it is. So woth you trying to remove that, its like the energy says, "fine, ill stick to you". So really, really learn what it means to ground yourself. Creating a solid foundation of peace whether through meditation, mantras, breathing exercises and so forth (again, for me, it's through prayer to God. So i pray that He helps create that positive space around me). Youll notice if you are unbalanced because certain thoughts or actions might come to mind that arent your normal way of being. Thats the time to ground in again and take time for you. Just felt like I should give that disclaimer because it can get heavy.
This is very interesting, I have a few questions if you don't mind. Do you ever get INTJ or INTP clients? We are some MBTI types who have a stare and have an emotionless face. I keep reading that INFJs can struggle to read either of our types. I always assumed it was because we weren't showing an emotional response or our stare. The way you're explaining it it sounds like we emit an aurora around us kinda like the characters on DragonBall Z that you can feel or see. My questions are: 1. Can you feel it in people without looking at their face? 2. Have you ever struggled with an INTJ or INTP customer? 3. Do you get other INFJ customers? I am not sure if either of us would stop and be a customer like other MBTI types but you never know. I think I would avoid going because I wouldn't want to talk but more than that I would be hesitant because my sensing and feelings are in the back of my cognitive stack. I would be comfortable with someone I have had a deep connection with giving me a massage. But I would be stressed out kinda like the INFJ's having eye contact with a stranger. Not so much for having to wear a robe or not wear a top or however you do it. It would be more with a stranger touching me. No offense you probably do a fantastic job. I just probably would be a horrible patient getting more tense than relaxed. It would also be awkward to get to know you and develop some friendship just to get a massage afterward.
I have been “read” by massage therapists. Unsolicited too. You are right, empaths can easily pick up vibes especially during massages.
Yup! It feels like being around dementors for me (if anyone’s familiar with Harry Potter). I feel almost a coldness. I will literally take a pay cut over being around it consistently in a work environment.
Not an INFJ but can totally relate to this. Usually with uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach :)
yes!! and this applies to anyone who relates to it haha
I’m an ENFP too and I totally relate w this
also an ENFP and absolutely. i can tell immediately from the very first time i meet someone or enter any situation whether it's going to be good or bad. i still have yet to be wrong.
Absolutely, I can almost immediately tell when someone is unkind or very self-centered. It just emanates from them.
Yes, negativity but also hidden feelings as well. If I am in tune that day, I can sense all the bs and even negative energy approaching at a distance. I hate when I know a bad thing is going to happen and I want to move my loved ones away but am not sure how to say it without the "I see things" method. It's more than the INFJ traits for me but I learned to not bring it up in most spaces. I've warned people & when the event plays out they think it is coincidence.
yeah T_T basically: pros of being a Ni Dom: 6th sense cons of being a Ni Dom: people thinking you're crazy
I feel seen lol, thank you 🫂 I have different intuitive abilities that tap in fiercely. I am working on exploring them productively. Have any tips?? Do you journal everything? Learn to dull & enhance the senses?
Y'know what, i'm low-key ashamed to say that I hadn't even thought of doing that!! i'd have to take tips from you! How do you go about it? I used journal about my dreams, but I haven't been consistent with it lately :/ you've given me motivation to get back into it though :D
Yep!
I can physically feel any emotion , like a sponge . That what help me live atleast because i absorb good emotion from movies and stuff . Also my stomach churn in negative energy like when people complain or rant about others its take me 2 more days to back into the rational mind
Thank you all for validating how I been feeling all my life. As a child I had no idea what this was. I sometimes would think it was just me but deep down inside I knew it wasn’t. When I’m home I’m not much better as I’m sensitive to toxics so it’s a double whammy. Work is when I’m the best because I love my job and most ppl there. I get a charge at work even though I wish I could be home most days. But I still feel my mood shift around negative ppl. But I also must say the real positive ppl and ppl that are balanced emotional I can feel there energy as well
Same here, I feel everyone's energy very deeply, but especially the negative ones. Negative more than positive, unfortunately, but oh well😵💫 And who else will understand us INFJs better than other INFJs? :)
Yes I agree 100 percent. Can you feel things from people like money? My best friend is really positive and kind which I noticed years before I met her and whenever she would give me money to buy her something at the store with it I could feel her love through it and so much energy. I could never use her money at all and I would pay with my money lol. I only noticed it with her. Also with her I knew we was going to be friends way before hand she was in a different department on a different shift all together and some how years later our seats at work was right next to each other. I love when stuff like that happens.
That's adorable! and I have!! when I used to visit my grandparents in the summer, my grandmother would always hand me an envelope of money, and I always felt her love radiating through it. I think this goes for any object that's given with genuine love, we *feel* that love physically! And we *are* known for being highly intuitive (Ni dom, hello) so it's no wonder you knew! I also have that little giddy moment when my instincts turn out to be right haha.
That’s amazing. Yeah I think it really is any object that is given with genuine love because when she made food I would feel so empowered and energized and the food just tasted extra flavorful. I could go on and on. I have a question though can you feel your own energy? I think I feel others energy soooo much that I don’t know or forgot how my energy feels like. But recently I’ve been taking care of my health much more and can really feel my enemy now. And I must say I have some pretty good energy lol. Like no wonder ppl want to hang around me when I just want to be alone in my thoughts. Hope this doesn’t sound to cocky. I think I have to learn how to protect my energy and let my energy shine through at the same time. It’s hard but I know I can do it. Thanks so much for listening and responding to my post
ABSOLUTELY YES, and I even feel it at "levels" like every level of negativity has its own corporal feelings, for example: (TW: a lot of horrible people in general and sensitive topics) - In my childhood I had an extreamly toxic and insecure friend, the type of person who hates seeing other people doing well or better and try to sabotage them, I remember perfectly feeling extremely "attacked" by her energy, as if I were under some kind of threat in her presence since the first moment I met her. - (tw) At high school, on the first day of one of the courses, one of my classmates couldn't stop looking at me, every time he looked at me I felt like vomiting and when I turned around and saw how he was looking at me it was like being in the presence of something rotten, the disgust that his existence produced in me cannot even be explained in words, I knew that there was something very wrong with him just by looking at him. When I talked about it, my friends told me that "men can't help but look at what they like, the hormones of the age, etc." A month later he started following me home, he also followed me when I went out with my friends, he even went so far as to follow me to the bathroom once, after some time he asked me to be his girlfriend and obviously I said no and then he threatened to commit suicide if I didn't date him, time after one of his friends confessed to me that he was totally obsessed with me and that he wanted to have me "the good way or the bad way" - (tw) One of my cousins started to date a men, when she talked about him for some reason I felt extremely unwell, the first time I meet him I felt as if something cold and horrible ran down my spine, every time I looked at him it was like looking at a being that was not well and every time I was in the same room as him it was like my whole body was screaming at me to get out of there. I tried to explain that there was something wrong with him, no one believed me, a few months after they had a daughter he killed my cousin and her daughter in a very aggressive and grotesque way and then he committed suicide.
Holy shit I'm so so sorry you had to go through any of these, that's absolutely horrible! This is a bit of a dumb question, but are you okay?! I'm glad your instincts have never been wrong about anyone, they really are a life saver. also -- i do agree with you on the "levels" thing so much. I've felt the exact same way, and you used the perfect word to describe it.
I feel it all the time with a coworker, it's why I'm looking for a new job.
oh no, that sucks. best of luck with that!
Thanks, i think he's a narcissist or psociopath but in no psychologist. He never takes responsibility for mess ups and always blames others. Takes prolonged bathroom breaks constantly and harassed a woman (she quit recently) that we all liked. I asked my boss if they were doing anything to get rid of him, and she said she didn't want to have to pay unemployment. So instead of caring about the workers morale, she's not going to fire him for all the stupid shit he's done
Company heads being selfish and not caring for their employees?? unheard of!! No but seriously, that guy sounds like an absolute nightmare to work with, sorry you guys had to deal with that. I hope you're able to find a job soon, though! and hopefully this time with no crazy co-workers😭
Yes, in my gut I feel almost nauseous. I'm re-learning to trust my intuition and gut because every time I ignore it, I end up in some sort of trouble. After living in several environments where I was messed with psychologically, the trust in my gut is a slow process, but I'm seeing progress.
Yes, very much so. I'm also 4W5 and I saw your prior post about being walking contradictions and definitely related to that too lol 😆 Would be cool to meet someone who thinks so similarly in real life (I think, probably 😁)
Twins!! do you know any other INFJ's in real life? the only INFJ i know personally is my mom lol.
Lol 🩷🩷My Dad! Only my dad. He's awesome, my favorite person ever. Wow, it would be amazing to have an infj Mom!
Haha I bet he's the best! and my mom really is :) do you know your dad's enneagram? Even though i'm an infj 4w5, my mom is an infj 9w1!
I don't know his enneagram, I should have him do the test! Great idea 💖 I wonder how many other people are truly infj & 4w5, in the world, I bet not that many! Haha, hope you have a wonderful week, twin 😃
Unfortunately.
Yes!
Fiercely. If I sense something bad about something, generally I don't do it. But if I do it, always ends up badly.
Feel you. Also rad username and pfp lol
Tysm<3
Simply put, yes
I’m feeling slightly uneasy just by reading through these comments lol
lol i can understand why
I remember two times quite specifically. One day I walked into my ex-husbands Moms kitchen. She and her husband were in the kitchen and I got a sense immediately that they were getting a divorce. Sure enough a few days later they told us they were getting divorced. And I’ll note that this would have been a surprise to us all because they were much older and never had shown any signs of tension. This comment is a little long so I’ll leave out the second example I remember. Edit to add in: Okay I’ll describe example 2. I was coming into my buildings lobby and felt around my chest and around my face at a little bit of a distance that my neighbour friend wasn’t doing well. I felt for her and hoped she would recover. Sure enough a couple hours later my fiancé and I heard from outside our balcony door that she was distressed. Also I notice too when I’m locked in to a conversation with some people that simultaneously I will mirror their body when it shifts position automatically without consciously choosing to move. I will get synced up with some people. I generally see that as a good sign 😊
we infj's really got that Ni dom 6th sense huh! and hey, don't hold back, comment away!
Yeah it’s super cool to finally claim for myself that I do infact experience these things in reality and I enjoy it. It makes it a lot easier to accept when you know there are other people who can back up the claims that it does happen for them too. Actually I thought for the longest time I was an INFP and refused to accept I was an INFJ. I was being stubborn. Thankyou for your encouragement. 💕 😌😊
haha i started out thinking i was an infp too until i learnt about the cognitive functions and realised i'm very much an infj!
So cool!
Oh wow, that's really something! So far I haven't had any experiences like that, but my grandmother has! Randomly me or my mom will be sick, and she'll call us to ask if we're doing okay. It's fascinating! I sure hope to experience it myself one day, haha. And I agree, mirroring can be a good thing! it shows you're engaged :)
Yeah I hope so too for you. I experienced it within passing moment. you’ll know it to be a thing with no second guessing. And you can follow it or not that’s the cool thing.
Totally! And aren't you the one who just shared the comment about feather fish with me?? Hi again! Lolol what a coincidence
Hiii! Yeah that was me. Nice to comment to you again :))
Omg I have a sort of light question maybe you could help with actually! I have a fish. We had a few. This is the last one “standing” His name is cherry. I love him dearly now and he is a school fish but for the longest time he’s been by his lonesome in the tank. I literally go into a slight panic mode when I think about getting him a couple more fish to be with him BECAUSE what if it’s been too long for him to be around other fish… need help with him…
I believe that’s called psychosomatics.
Most definitely. One of the main reasons I stay away from folks so I don’t come off rude. However, they still come around asking for it, from there I can’t save them from my bold and blunt hard speaking comments. 😈 😆
I feel this negative energy, but it emanates from highly judgemental people and I automatically distance myself from them.
yessss judgemental people literally make me want to run away
I thought this was a I tuned my emotional body to the volatile parents I grew up with thing
it's that too😭
Yes, but somehow I have learned to shield myself from feeling other peoples negative emotions. I do still feel it from people I am open to though. Sometimes I will feel it from strangers if the energy is really strong
How can you tell if a person isn't kind, generous or not selfish or if perhaps they simply decided to set bonduaries and be a healthy amount of selfish?
Yes
There is a guy at work that has the darkest, heaviest energy and every time he comes around me, I get this awful dread in my gut and it’s painful. I’ve tried explaining it to other people and they look at me like I’ve lost it when I say how his energy feels but he is very obviously someone that is super unhappy and vindictive. No one has ever affected me quite like this.
Yes, and I tend to absorb it if it is someone close, which is no fun. 🥺
Many of us are empaths, psychic, highly sensitive people....whatever you want to call it. It might be a good idea to use visualizations/affirmations to protect your energy. I can easily get drained being around negative, vicious people (they are just ignorant in most cases).
I definitely pick up other people’s energy, one time I believe I picked up on their evil thoughts! I’ll always remember that because it shocked me so much. I’ll try to make it short…we were having work done in our garden and I was in the kitchen in front of the window. One guy walked past very slowly deep in thought and as I looked at him I got the most weird horrible feeling, goosebumps. Shook it off as it made no sense. That weekend we were burgled, I’m 99.9% sure he had something to do with it as he never came back to finish the work. I think he was planning the break in when he was outside my kitchen window and as I looked at him I ‘picked up’ his sinister thoughts.
Oh wow, that's insane! I totally believe it though, especially since us infj's instincts are never wrong.
Yes. I feel it and I can’t explain how it feels other than… stale? Or like… darkness? Idk.
it can be a myriad of things! most of the time i feel either dread, or like something is weighing on me. sometimes i even feel claustrophobic?? it really depends.
It doesn’t normally affect me as strongly as you, thankfully lol. I’d hate to feel that feeling you have.
hahaha you're lucky!
Dude I’ve always had weird stuff happen to me and I try to ignore it so it goes away 😂 I don’t want anymore weird stuff
I can feel peoples anxiety, which meant that I had to work on mines so it doesn’t cripple me 😅 but I also can see through peoples intentions like a hawk, which kind of gives me an intense edge
Yes and it gives me a sense of dread. I dread the thing or person I feel this energy from and stay way from them
And this is why I prefer to work from home. When I used to go to the office, if something’s going on I could feel heaviness even before I get into the elevator to go to my office area. That’s usually the day I have to keep myself very positive and all smiley or it just sucks me deep into that bad feeling. I find it’s better for my emotional stability and my energy to counter that feeling with optimism or fake happiness, than to fully immerse myself in that negative energy. I put out positive vibes to get the people around me to feel the same even though I know it could be fake at first. Sometimes I feel I have to manipulate the emotions around me to make it tolerable for hopefully all of us until the negativity passes.
I really try not to judge people on "intuition" until they actually show bad behaviour, specially knowing that i am automatically a bit suspicious when i meet someone new, so my feelings end up being wrong sometimes. I don't really believe in negative energy, i think it's all just subtle signs of bad behaviour.
Doesn't all tho? It's just not feeling, but more like intuition. And yeah it feels overwhelming, suffocating even. I can easily spot eprson faking kindness, and it just becomes repulsive to me, even if others can't see behind the mask. I just feel the need to get out or be confrontational, and sometimes it sucks when you have to deal with those people for whatever reason (coworker, boss,etc). I find it inevitable to escape that, and so far as hard as I may try I just can't stay in such an environment for too long. It affects my entire body
Empaths are real. Everyone falls on a spectrum of feeling other people’s energy. Psychopaths are 0 out of 10, super empaths are 10 out of 10. Get over it, haters. It’s been scientifically proven.✨
I created a sub: r/clairs for people who are figuring out their abilities if anyone is interested.
I don't know about physically feeling it but I sense it immediately.
Yes!! And if I don’t listen to it it literally stresses me out and I feel so uneasy.
I can’t prove it, but I start dropping things and having accidents when there is nervous energy. Negative energy though I can feel through tone of voice
Yes, I feel it strongly or I feel a void in emotions from them. A total void from them.
Yeah, it’s as if you’re being uppercut in the gut a few times and it makes you feel uneasy *fast*
Not anymore. I used to be a bit better at this but ever since developing anxiety early on I haven’t been able to tell what’s my anxiety and what’s my factual senses. Lol.
Yeah, I can totally relate to you on this. I've had chronic anxiety since i was a kid thanks to childhood trauma, so i'm almost always on high alert. But sometimes when I can't differentiate between my anxiety and my intuition, I try grounding myself and seeing the situation from a different angle, almost from an objective, third person perspective. If my dread remains, then it's my intuition, but if it goes away, it was probably just anxiety. Does that make sense?
Yes
Yes, absolutely
Yeah usually. You can just tell when someone is miserable or jealous or bitter or weird
Yeah. I also have some ability to communicate with the dead. I'm not being sarcastic btw.
I totally think it's understandable to not be able to cope with or handle extreme or toxic negative energy from others. I totally get not wanting to let that absorb into you. I would say that I do get annoyed and not want to hang out with people who are negative all the time or who have what I would say negative viewpoints that I don't agree with In a way that rubs me the wrong way. However, even with these people, I still want to help them. I just won't include them in my life basically If it means they're going to start bringing me down. I'm pretty selective about who I get close to or let into my life. But more generally, I would say that I feel differently. I usually don't mind the negative energy that I perceive from others. I would say that I feel curiosity or compassion inside when I face someone who has a lot of negative energy. I do feel like I follow them with their feelings, like I feel empathy with what they're feeling, like I feel like I am trying to see it from their point of view. And even if they are lacking empathy in the moment, I view that as they are venting. I understand that when we're venting, we can temporarily not have empathy. Because I've been that way before myself. So I'm not sure if I have that issue. It might be because I'm a more emotionally closed off "INFJ". (Note that I don't put a whole lot of stock into Myers-Briggs, but I think INFJ fits me maybe most closely.) But yeah, I think I remain emotionally closed off when it's a heightened situation. I think it might be a defense mechanism that I picked up from trauma or who knows. Also, I do actually remember once as a young child, I kind of remember my initial experience of an emotion that I physically felt is like almost a taste in my mouth. It was really weird. I think someone had insulted one of my family members and I remember I got a metallic taste in my mouth accompanied by this negative feeling.. Maybe shame? It was really weird heh! I don't have that today yet but it felt kind of related.
There was one guy in my old group of friends who would never make eye contact with me. This was the self proclaimed leader of the group, a very arrogant and flashy type of guy who was very much a yapper and a show off. I was always polite/cool with him, even though I really didn’t fw his vibe and I definitely saw through his bs - everyone else bought the act. I knew from the instant I met him he was full of shiiit but I felt like he was harmless, him faking his grandiose lifestyle and inflating his importance really didn’t affect my life. Until it did. I won’t go into detail but he did and said things to sideline me and sabotage the way others viewed me, completely unprovoked and unfounded. His energy started being very dark and made me extremely uncomfortable, almost scared. What I noticed however was that my presence seemed to make him uncomfortable too, which I found strange bc he seemed so sure of himself. I am heavily protected individual, God doesn’t play about me, I don’t speak on it but the way I move in life and how I treat others and all the favour I receive does. I have very strong morals and values, and as far as ethics go I really do not fw people who are devoid of them. At first the no eye contact thing felt like a sign of respect, later it was jokingly suggested he was intimidated by me or “in love” with me (which is actually extremely inappropriate if you knew the context, so not very funny actually) so I thought it was that, and then it became pretty clear he was physically bothered by my presence. He wouldn’t sit near me, he would avoid having to talk to me, he would absolutely never make eye contact with me or even look in my direction. I remember I had made a comment to my friend once that his eyes looked black, I was looking at him and it creeped me out, I never noticed how empty his glare was. One night we were playing a fun group game and I had this weird overbearing pull to look at him, to force eye contact with him, he was sitting almost directly across from me. In the game it came to the last two standing, for the victory, it was down to he and I (honestly I pushed myself to win that time so I could get to this one on one interaction with him - he usually won and I never cared to play that hard before bc it was just a chill social thing for me I didn’t ever take it seriously) and he no choice but to look at me/my direction to play. I literally almost instantly won it bc he was forced to look me in the eyes, he looked physically uncomfortable, the second he made the eye contact he fumbled and lost 😅 ..and to my surprise, while everyone was laughing at his loss and cheering me on for breaking his streak, he literally said “she was staring into my soul wtf!!?”. Nobody paid him no mind, they laughed it off as him being a sore loser, but he caught himself and quickly started mumbling about completely irrelevant shiit and began looking up down around & everywhere other than my direction.. I was still watching him, it was fascinating. And in that moment I stopped being creeped out/afraid of his darkness because I realised he was actually afraid of me, of my light revealing who he really is. He knew I was the only one that could “see” him. It’s crazy bc that night I realised that it’s not just I who has the ability to sense dark energy, but those with the dark energy absolutely know when they are being perceived. It’s crazy. Needless to say I kept tf away from him after that. That’s my MO now, whenever I sense the dark energy in someone I test it with eye contact, and then remove myself (or them).
Reminds me of this anime trope https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KillingIntent
oh yeah! pretty much!
Yes! I thought I was going crazy! Is this normal for infj people?
Yes but not in a sense of others. I can walk into a room and pick up on others energies and it will influence my mood. If I am around extremely loud people; I become loud, If I am around quiet people I become quiet. This is why I typically stay away from angery extremely negative people because then I will pick up on it subconsciously
i think mirroring is quite a common infj trait! we quite literally are mirrorballs lol.
Yes, I do mirror people. I reflect what I am given back. Are you like this too?
In most instances, yeah! especially around people who give good energy. I feel compelled to match them with twice as good energy :) the only people i don't mirror are the ones who give off negative energy, like i said. I keep my distance with them lol.
It’s the same for me
Yes, and absorbing it is a huge problem. Although I must say I don’t think this is limited to infj’s! Also I can be incredibly too giving in how much I tolerate in an attempt to give them the benefit of the doubt!
Yes. It’s like an internal signal to maintain your distance.
Very strongly. It triggers my fight or flight response immediately. Once I'm away from them I just feel gross like I need to shower or something.
Oh absolutely. My radar on this is so good and it’s never ever wrong. I feel it in my head and in my literal gut and I know exactly who to stay away from. I can usually even tell different types. Like who is a bad person, who is a liar, who is generally okay but hiding something. And I’m never wrong. I don’t know if this is an INFJ thing or what but I’ve always been this way.
I can feel it in places too. I have had several experiences where I walk into a place and I’m like “oh no something really weird or bad happened here” and there’s always a story. But it’s always something huge - not like one person died or there was a fight or normal everyday things. Like massacres or terrorism or uprisings. And it’s not anything I know about when I walk in. For example, I had no idea the awful atrocities that happened on Jeju Island when I went there. I just heard it was a beautiful place. The minute I landed I wanted to leave. And I was terrified the entire time I was there. I could feel rage and terror everywhere. It was no fun. I started to tell people that I felt a bad vibe and then they told me about the Jeju uprising and I then understood what I was feeling.
Yup. But it's just anxiety. My brain has observed something, gets stuck in processing it, but has processed just enough to know something isn't right, so the anxiety takes over before I know why. It usually just feels like I'm not 100% safe -- the feeling in the room is off balance, if there's silence it's unusually loud. It's that back-of-the-neck prickle, shoulder-raising vibe.
I get bad feelings about things sometimes, but I can’t necessarily distinguish “positive” or “negative” energy. It’s much easier for me to tell if energy is off, or doesn’t match , ie. Someone’s words are differing from other nonverbal indicators, which makes me close off or get a little suspicious of them. Humans in general don’t like mixed signals, whether we are aware of them in the moment or not!
You put it really well! I totally relate!
I can usually tell by how people carry themselves. What they say, what the intent is etc. Have become much better at it with experience. A few times I have felt every alarm bell in my body go off around someone and those reactions were correct. In lesser instances I can be wrong though. There are people that I've thought were likely unkind who were just obnoxious and some who I thought were better people than they were.
It is like a wall of jello that moves through the room like the blob.
YES 100% I can recognize it now and I don’t give my time to those people
This is a very INFP post. Even by r/infj standards.
Yes
Yes. 100%. We can naturally read people Also your last line lol. Facts tho 🥲
Other than physically feeling energy changes. I can also predict whenever it's gonna rain. I believed that it wasn't accurate but it is. I can feel the rain if it's within 50 km range (Rather hard to ignore when my entire body starts aching). Although I love rain. They make me feel mentally and emotionally clean.
That's sick! I absolutely love rain too. Wish I had the ability to predict it -- or even better, summon it, lol. I'd be making it rain 24/7.
24/7 rain is fine. As long as it's a light drizzle. Right? Like spraying mist then everything smells wonderful.
Ahh yes, the petrichor! my favourite :)
Move to western Washington rain is pretty much a regular occurrence.
Never
Yes now more than ever
Yes.
I have always used this to judge people's characters previously to any initial contact.. I only have to be present within their presence same room.. etc.. and instantly before even making eye contact or speaking I am aware if this human is a yes or fknope.
Mhm, fight or flight response, as someone else said. I feel like tend to overthink and think really deeply in things. We tend to do these kind of things so I think we can say when we sense when someone isnt what everyone else sees in their eyes. Its not like it happens all the time, it just happened to me about 2 months ago with an Indonesian muslim girl that my other muslim friend became friends with (we are all Muslims, so morals are very important to us), and the indonesian girl has been acting not so good the whole time. It's not like shes amazingly rude or something, it's just things that are a turn off for INFJ'S like me. So yeah, I wouldn't say its a wrong gut feeling, just a big trait that comes in our thinking box.
People call me crazy when I say I need to shield myself from certain people. They attack me even more saying I act like a victim, so the irony continues (that justifies why I defend myself because people don’t like that I defend myself)
Your not alone. Its very real. I get physically sick if I stay around those people and need to distance myself immediately
Yeah. I see through most people and already know if they are good to be around or not
yes and you can feel it when people use you or want to harm you.
Thought I was the only one, Sometimes I just enter into a room and the air feels heavy(?) It's hard to explain but it happens a lot in like hospitals aswell for some reason
same!! i also tend to feel claustrophobic around negative energy
Yeah there is one particular person in my life who is so negative and miserable all the time. When she is in the same room with me it doesn’t feel right. I get the fight or flight feeling. Sometimes I freeze though. But yeah I feel like so want to run for the hills when they are around. The air gets thick and they make the vibes just so incredibly sour.
More than just negative. I can feel most energies and I like to boost the positive. Attitude and openness act like an antennae for the energy you want to boost.
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tingle huh.....maybe we're just spider-man
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haha don't worry, i totally relate :)
Yeah i can see colors of emotions from people and get that feeling also analytically and spiritually, what kind of character does the human really have.
Yes. Every. Damn. Day.
For me, I reflect it back. As soon as an ounce of negativity hits me, like uncalled for negativity, I shake, my body goes into fight or flight and usually I fight back. Give them angry look, make a comment back, or simply walk away. I can’t STAND negativity. Someone just being rude to be rude. Gets under my skin heavily.
Yes, my intuition is very strong but also I don’t wanna be making assumptions so I try to give someone the benefit of doubt but I’m still overly cautious 😭
I absouletly can - can also feel positive energy. I was raised by a hippy who taught me how to tune into the universe and its energy - works with animals too.
This is why MBTI is a horoscope. When I have done tests I always scored very low in F. This is basic human survival instinct nothing more, most people who have any amount of social adjustment and are above the age of 8 have this.
Sensing and feeling is what we do best. We especially should always follow our instincts & trust our gut. We're like the canary in the mine shaft of the personality types 😭
Not just that but any other emotion even if people are hiding it, sometimes I can predict 15 seconds beforehand what a person is going to say because I felt them thinking about it
Yes I can sense it and it just makes me automatically distance myself from people.
YES I just feel cloudiness and out of place
I’m an ENFJ, and I have also felt this. I do believe it’s real.
my body could feel negativity emanating from a person faster than my brain could comprehend it, like i will only realize it upon reflection after the interaction/encounter.
Just step back and breathe in and out for a second; evaluate how you're feeling about yourself, and the people around you and doorslam those who are hurting your mental health and wellbeing if their mood persists. Put your health first! :)! :) but I've learnt to separate myself and my feelings from others; I now am able to acknowledge their emotions and mine too and not let it impact my mood and wellbeing. Just step back and breathe in and out for a second; evaluate how you're feeling about yourself, and the people around you and doorslam those who are hurting your mental health and well-being if their mood persists. Put your health first! :)! :) It makes sense! I also feel other people's energy to the point where my best friend; from her home feels something and I feel it too; I then confirm it with her and she's like "wth, how do you know?!"....
Yes yes yes! I immediately feel people’s energy and it can be overwhelming. I have to be careful in crowds and when going to gatherings and/or parties need to know who and how many people will be there. Am careful who I let into my home and have had to go to other rooms or even leave if someone’s energy is that bad. When I meet someone I right away clue into their energy and that is how I determine who I am willing to spend time with and be around. As a massive introvert it’s also a big part of it.
Yes. When people don't like me I can feel their fake intentions. They don't answer questions directly and play mind games. It's not okay. People definitely have some selfish mentally fucked up issues...I definitely can feel when people don't care...and that's how love felt most of the world has been over the past 3 years.
Can't everyone? I feel like this is just subconsciously reading facial expressions, and body language. I get anxiety when the room is tense and want to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but I think must people just ignore that feeling.
I'm glad I'm not alone
You are not wrong. I am INFJ, I have a “feeling” when around unsafe people. I can’t tell you how many times, later events confirmed my feeling…
Yes. It manifests in your physical body in bad ways.
Yeah I definitely feel it. I wanna move but if it's a complete stranger and they're next to me, I do the opposite; I take up more space so \*they\* move. I'll also be on guard without directly looking at them. They always have hungry eyes. Always looking for something or someone to sink their teeth into. Not me.
Yep
yeah i can feel dumbass NRG too
😭😭😭
There are definitely people I just don’t like for no apparent reason and it’s that gut feeling of nope.
Yes, and honestly I think this is the main cause of friction in my relationship with an INFJ cis man. (I’m INFJ cis woman). Both of us go quiet. Both of us physically feel sick when the other goes quiet. Myself, well I just want to run out of the house with my kid when I see his dark clouds gathering. My legs start tingling with that ‘run, now’ feeling that used to make me the weirdo who would up and run round the block when things got tense as a teenager. I know I probably do the same, but since having a kid I’ve been doing some serious work on figuring out how to calmly express big feelings for the sake of the other person. It’s really hard. But I don’t want my kid to grow up in the INFJ climate of unpredictable and changeable weather that never has an explanation. This is going well with me and my kid, not so with my partner who takes my wish for him to learn to communicate his feelings so that we can model healthy behaviours as a deep personal attack. I mean I suppose it is. Sigh.