How to Survive the Holidays as an INFJ

‘Tis the season to be extroverted! And as an INFJ you may find yourself wondering, “How am I going to survive the holidays this year?”

From fall family reunions to festive work parties, as we start to notice our schedules packed with way more social obligations than usual it can only mean one thing — the holiday season is here.

This can be an overwhelming time for INFJ personality types (and introverts in general).

But there are plenty of things INFJs can do to minimize stress and enjoy the holidays.

INFJs: How to Survive the Holidays

Here are five tips to help INFJs survive the holidays.

1. Find a job at holiday gatherings.

Whether it’s serving drinks, preparing food, or watching the kids, having a specific task to do at your next event will alleviate the pressure to mingle.

It’s also an excuse to get out of uncomfortable conversations. Like when Aunt Susan asks you for the fourth year in a row why you’re still single…

2. Get holiday shopping completed early. Or better yet, shop online.

The sure way for an introvert to really lose it around the holidays is to wait until the last-minute to holiday shop (or attempt Black Friday shopping, yuck).

Set a pre-December date to get as much holiday shopping completed as possible.

Or, considering you can buy just about anything online, save yourself the trouble of leaving the couch and make Amazon your best friend.

Read More: 8 Holiday Gift Ideas for INFJs

3. Prepare conversation starters.

Imagine you’re attending a holiday party with a new significant other and you don’t know anyone.

As the new person, people will likely ask you questions. For an introvert, constantly having the same conversations about yourself can be draining, but extroverts typically love that kind of stuff.

If you have a couple of questions in mind that will turn the conversation to the other person, it will relieve you of having to talk about your job or how you met your significant other quite as often.

4. Go in with an open mind.

If you arrive at a holiday gathering with a pessimistic attitude, the experience is naturally going to be worse.

I’ve found that when I try to convince myself that an event will be a great experience ahead of time, I generally enjoy it a lot more.

Being in a good mood upon arrival, when possible, not only means that you feel better, but that others feel more comfortable around you. This eases the pressure for you to “perform” and instead means you can just be yourself!

5. Have an escape plan.

I generally like to go into events that I know will be draining with a plan of escape ahead of time.

Let others know that you will need to leave around [specific time]. That way the important things (like meals and gift exchanges) will be completed early and you don’t feel obligated to stick around late into the evening.

INFJs — do you have any go-to methods for surviving the holidays?