[nicoloco90]

How do other ENFP's handle being bored or becoming bored often? When you see other people doing mundane things (in your eyes) and it somehow being seemingly enough for their brains to be occupied for a while, it just makes me almost jealous even.

I tend to bored a lot and can get bored very easily. It doesn't really matter whether I have no time on my hands or a lot of time on my hands, whenever it is me-time, I can't zone-out or relax properly.

The only upside of a busy life is that I don't have time for (over)thinking or (over)feeling (Fi) or becoming bored of simplicity or repetition (Ne). The latter seems contradicting, but when Te takes over because stuff simply has to be done like work, it is out of your power to influence it at that time, so you just accept it as it is and continue on.
But, that doesn't solve or fix anything, that is just postponing those thoughts, waiting to grab and choke me a little again.

It is something that has always been with me since my late teens, the looking for purpose or meaning in many things - or that one great passion that keeps me occupied for forever and steers you into a great career or other life devotion. (something that society also really wants from you so it seems). Nope, never happens.

I'm often trying to spice things up by acting weird around others for the sake of changing outcomes in certain situations or to make ''normal'' situations less normal, haha. People often tell me I say weird things or conversations with me are weird (I take that as a great compliment ).

I mean sure, I enjoy life, nothing too complain much, but it is so hard to not become uninspired and bored. It can be the big things and the little things. For example not finding your grand interest or hobbies is a big thing, but not enjoying movies, books, games, small talk and less deep conversation are the little things. I don't really make a distinction, many things are just boring, predictable and repetitive

Now I grow tired of motivating myself again and again, and the looking for my grand interests and devotions. Is it just some other ideal to have something that keeps me obsessed and gives me positive energy? I could even share all that then :3 uuh, dat sexy thought. :3

Say what? A luxury problem over here? Maybe, but no matter how occupied or free I am, it never goes away. Is this the curse of Extraverted Intuition?

 

NOW EVERYBODY GIVE INTEREsTIng ANSWERS AND DONT BE BORINGK

 

[Tridentus]

I have a theory that types/personalities evolved out of the range of qualities that pre-historic human societies needed. So obviously, we'd be innovators, explorers, networkers. Obviously nowadays those things aren't considered so important to the majority.

You've just got to find a way to structure your life to play to those things. One realisation I've had about myself is that it's not a specific hobby or activity that I need, but rather the continuance of variance- instead of a specific activity or thing giving Ne satisfaction long-term, it is that continuing opportunity for change and newness..

There's a stigma about that type of thinking, and it's almost seen as you're "incomplete" or something as a person- but it's utter nonsense because most people simply aren't wired like we are. I'm happy, confident and comfortable when I am able to live my life that way, and I function at my highest capacity- and I'd argue higher than a lot of people who confess to be happy with "conventional" lives. Marrying that to being able to contribute to society at the same time through that in whatever way you can find would represent the ideal for most ENFPs in my opinion.

People will never help or encourage you toward that direction- in fact quite the opposite. That is why it's important to have a strong sense of autonomy, and to carve out what you want yourself, and never be affected by pre-conceived notions - EVER.

 

[ricericebaby]

I'm wired with the ENFP drive for novelty, but due to childhood experiences (daughter of an antique dealer; spent most of my childhood entertaining myself while stuck at antique malls, auctions, and flea markets) I handle a lack of "things to do" pretty well. Stuck in the car for a 2-day road trip? I zone out into my own little world and am gone for hours at a time. Stuck in line somewhere? I'm enjoying myself with my own thoughts while my poor husband is going crazy.

But I do experience the novelty drive. What do I do with it? Well, like most ENFPs, I do things in bursts and leave projects unfinished, so what I have done is acquired multiple hobbies that I can alternate between every couple of weeks as I tire of them, and them come back to them at will.
I dabble in:
- Photography
- Painting
- Sculpting
- Writing
- Gardening
- Sewing
- Drawing
- Bead work
- Interior decorating
- Knitting/crochet
- Photo manipulation
- Designing and crafting hair ornaments
- Reading
- Upcycling
- Flower pressing
- Scrapbooking/cardmaking
- Raising animals
- Journaling
- Language learning

I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Two things I would love to add to that list at some point are Flemish masters' style oil painting, and book binding.

 

[Falling Foxes]

Basically everything @sylvirfoxx said. As a child I didn't roam antique stalls but art galleries. I adapted as a child to find joy in creating instead of just watching since being an only child often meant it was my own job to entertain myself.

Like sylvirfoxx I just start a new project. For some reason I start every project with great enthusiasm as if I haven't seen this routine before where the project gets dropped but I always imagine finishing the project and that initially motivates me.

Honestly what you are saying sounds a lot like my ENTP. He's constantly bored. Bored of the same games, TV, whatever. I keep encouraging him to stick to something more like playing guitar, working out or something similar, just routines so that I can do my own thing. Somehow the working out bit stuck but now I have my own goals in that regard... Anyway... Um, yeah, I guess like you he turns to his Tert to keep the boredom at bay. So long as myself or someone else is involved with doing whatever repetitive activity then he enjoys it more. So long as they find enjoyment out of it he can feed off of that like an emotional vampire.

 

[nicoloco90]

Basically everything @sylvirfoxx said. As a child I didn't roam antique stalls but art galleries. I adapted as a child to find joy in creating instead of just watching since being an only child often meant it was my own job to entertain myself.

Like sylvirfoxx I just start a new project. For some reason I start every project with great enthusiasm as if I haven't seen this routine before where the project gets dropped but I always imagine finishing the project and that initially motivates me.

Honestly what you are saying sounds a lot like my ENTP. He's constantly bored. Bored of the same games, TV, whatever. I keep encouraging him to stick to something more like playing guitar, working out or something similar, just routines so that I can do my own thing. Somehow the working out bit stuck but now I have my own goals in that regard... Anyway... Um, yeah, I guess like you he turns to his Tert to keep the boredom at bay. So long as myself or someone else is involved with doing whatever repetitive activity then he enjoys it more. So long as they find enjoyment out of it he can feed off of that like an emotional vampire.

Envisioning a project finished is motivating (whilst knowing you won't reach it). Usually I start adding to the project and it becomes bigger and bigger, until I leave it for a few days and forget about it altogether, or it is too much work to ''get back into it'' because the thought process behind the project became so big that it's just a pain to try to remember it all.

So long as myself or someone else is involved with doing whatever repetitive activity then he enjoys it more. So long as they find enjoyment out of it he can feed off of that like an emotional vampire.

Yes this last part really speaks to me. This might be my enneagram 2, but that vampirism really works to soften it. In essence that is just merely 'forgetting' about the self and focussing on others. Most of my life i've done that, except for the last two years or so. Admittedly exercise would be really good for me, been saying that for years.

 

[nicoloco90]

I have a theory that types/personalities evolved out of the range of qualities that pre-historic human societies needed. So obviously, we'd be innovators, explorers, networkers. Obviously nowadays those things aren't considered so important to the majority.

You've just got to find a way to structure your life to play to those things. One realisation I've had about myself is that it's not a specific hobby or activity that I need, but rather the continuance of variance- instead of a specific activity or thing giving Ne satisfaction long-term, it is that continuing opportunity for change and newness..

There's a stigma about that type of thinking, and it's almost seen as you're "incomplete" or something as a person- but it's utter nonsense because most people simply aren't wired like we are. I'm happy, confident and comfortable when I am able to live my life that way, and I function at my highest capacity- and I'd argue higher than a lot of people who confess to be happy with "conventional" lives. Marrying that to being able to contribute to society at the same time through that in whatever way you can find would represent the ideal for most ENFPs in my opinion.

People will never help or encourage you toward that direction- in fact quite the opposite. That is why it's important to have a strong sense of autonomy, and to carve out what you want yourself, and never be affected by pre-conceived notions - EVER.

I think I get what you were saying here, and I couldn't agree more. That is all on perspectives on how one should 'build' a life and how one should develop oneself and which stages or phases one should be in by the ages of X and Y and Z. This always bothered me and I rebel against it. Well, not so much rebelling, as I just live my own life at my own pace, doing and developing things as I see a need for them. At least I went to uni/college and finished it, for that i'm happy of course.

i'm not against a conventional or traditional lifestyle (although it feels limited and suffocating). I appreciate stability and securities (no such thing in life), and the idea that one is building up a life and progressing each year (for instance buying a house - but in my generation even property value isn't progressing per se anylonger, you might as well lose money). Besides, I'd like to share my life and experiences, because I simply have to. Having no witnesses seems pointless or meaningless somehow

If I continue like I do now I will always be jumping from one thing to another, while at this point in time I have to figure out if I want to start to commit longterm to practical life-stuff. It seems employers want that as well, so that you are stuck in the (their) system and so they have more influence over you and take more from you then they should (i.e. you need that job because bills, etc).