In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, stress is a normal thing to be dealt with. Stress leads to physical tiredness and mental fatigue.
But what needs to be noted is we get affected by stressors in our daily life in different ways. No two people will react in similar ways to external stressors.
Our personality dynamics play a vital role in coping with stress triggers. Here, we will discuss ESFP Stress triggers and how do they cope with stress in everyday situations.
In this article, we will be focusing only on the ESFP personality type. Keep reading to find out what factors can stress out ESFPs.
Factors that Can Cause Stress in ESFP Personalities
If you have an ESFP personality type, these are the factors that might stress you out.
1. Strict rules
You can understand from the name that ESFPs are extroverts. So, they are outgoing, social, and spontaneous. Whenever anyone imposes strict rules on an ESFP person, they may get stressed. They feel stuck if micro-managed by others.
2. Planning
ESFP personalities love to “go with the flow”. They are “doers”, not “planners” or “thinkers”. Naturally, if you ask an ESFP friend to make plans, they may stress out and completely ignore you. This includes immediate plans as well as long-term future plans.
3. Commitments
ESFP people may get stressed by commitments. This is because they do not want to be tied down by any bounds. They prefer openness and flexibility. ESFPs never impose things on others and like similar gestures from others as well.
Commitments make them feel confined and stuck. They feel overpowered by unnecessary troubles. Moreover, these people prefer to have a free lifestyle and live life on their own terms.
4. Criticism and confrontation
Let us be honest here, nobody wants criticism of their work or themselves. But ESFP people get stressed even more about this, than some other personality types. They also hate confrontation. An ESFP person would rather ignore an issue than going head-first into solving it.
5. Lack of control
Although they are messy in their work, ESFP people love to feel in control of any situation. Whenever they feel like they are not, they may freak out.
6. Alone time
ESFPs love to be around people. If they have to spend a long time alone, this may be a significant stressor for them.
7. Theoretical work instead of practical work
We said before that ESFPs are “doers”. They want to get their hands on actual work that they can do, instead of sitting and studying about it. Too much theoretical work can be exhausting for ESFPs.
8. Sitting idle or procrastination
ESFPs can get bored very easily. If they have to sit idle for a long time, they may get significantly stressed. ESFPs prefer to move around and get engaged in pleasurable activities.
They are free-spirits. So anything that ties them into a schedule can cause stress. Sitting idle and not doing anything productive make them feel lesser from within. They feel confined and less creative. This causes anxiety and more stress in return.
9. Slow conversations
ESFPs love conversations that are to the point. If someone is taking a long time and building their thoughts while talking, an ESFP may get irked. They dislike small talk, criticism, and back-biting spree.
ESFPs can get anxious if others discuss matters that are unimportant. They find these conversations mentally taxing and avoid these talks at all costs.
10. Ambiguity in work can cause anxiety
ESFPs like concrete information about how to go about doing things. Thus, if you place ambiguous and unclear things before them, they may feel anxious and would never accomplish the task as per the rules.
Being a sensing personality type, they love to work with facts and figures and not with abstract ideas that require a lot of brainstorming.
Ways to Cope with Stress in ESFP Personalities
If you are an ESFP, here are some ways in which you can de-stress yourself.
1. Try to talk to a friend or family member
Tell them what you are going through. They may be able to help you or give suggestions to overcome the problem. But even if they do not, it helps to share your problems. You will feel like you have released a weight off your chest.
2. Engage in a hobby
Try doing something that is not related to your area of work. This can be something like baking, knitting, or crafts. You may also do some outdoor activities like bicycling or swimming. Sometimes, these engaging activities make you feel light and you can get back to your regular schedule quite easily.
3. Try to take criticisms in your stride
If someone criticizes you or any task that you have done, take a moment to think about it. Do not consider it a failure. Think of how you can use that criticism to improve your quality of work.
4. Stop being a pleaser
ESFPs have excellent people skills. Thus, you may try to make others happy by doing things as per their wishes. In return, you are feeling overwhelmed because you’re trying to do certain things that don’t suit your innate nature.
When you are doing any work, do not think about impressing others. Try to focus on the task that you are doing. Do not worry about the consequences. Otherwise, you may feel more stressed.
5. Take breaks
If you feel too overwhelmed with work, take a break. This lowers your anxiety and emotional overload. You can say it relaxes your body and mind and helps to rejuvenate your spirits in a new way.
6. Engage in fun-living activities
Go for a walk outdoors sometimes. Being in the presence of nature can help to calm your mind. You can also spend time playing with pets or children. If you do not have pets, you may take a part-time job as a dog walker. These activities help to lessen your overwhelming mental state.
If you have time, volunteer in community activities. Go to an old-age home or shelter for poor people. Interact with them. These interactions will be like a breath of fresh air.
7. Sleep well
Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Try not to stay awake too late. Go to bed at a fixed time. Try to wake up at the same time every day. This helps to adjust your body’s biological clock. Make sure that you get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep every day.
8. Eat healthy stuff
Try to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Keep yourself hydrated and drink plenty of water. Try to cut down on caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco or nicotine. These substances affect your physical health and make you feel sick and tired.
9. Find time to exercise
Doing regular exercises increases blood circulation to all parts of the body, including the brain. This helps to relieve some stress. Moreover, walking, running, and cycling also improve mood by releasing hormones that improve emotional well-being.
10. Visit a mental health professional
Lastly, if you ever feel that the stress is too much for you to handle, reach out for professional help. Professionally trained mental health professionals or therapists can help you deal with your stress. Then what is the best part here? They do not judge you for anything.
To Sum Up
From the discussion, it becomes clear that the ESFP personality type may get caught in daily stressors just like any other personality type. But following certain daily hacks can make them feel better.
The trick to reducing stress is to make attempts to resolve daily issues tactfully so that the problems don’t look big and enormous. If you’re an ESFP, you should focus on the present moment and live life as it is.
Avoid getting stuck in the rut of monotony. Just enjoy things that life is offering you every day and stop judging things as good or bad.
Indulge in the tiny joy of life to break the cycle of stress.
