Enneagram 4 Self-Care Tips

The Enneagram 4 type is prone to second guessing themselves and their passions. They rarely feel secure in that they are doing the right thing or that they are doing good in what they do. They often feel wrong or off. When artistic 4s talk about their art or music, its typically in negative terms. To protect themselves from criticism they will say “I know this is just a rough draft.” or “I’m not done yet” or “I know I could have done that better.”

There is a feeling in this type that your work is never complete or never good enough. So as a means of self-care, as a 4, it is important that you develop a sense of love for yourself. A love for what you do and who you are. A positive affirmation can be “I know it’s not done yet, but I already like it.”. It can also be: “I know I could have done better, but I’m already on the right track.”

As a 4, it is highly unusual to fall in the habit of vain self-enhancement. You don’t like to make yourself out to be something better or something grandiose compared to others. 4s are instead the types of people that, when healthy, are extremely caring and generous towards themselves, and when unhealthy, are extremely hard on themselves. 4s are simultaneously associated with ethics and high standards. And at the same time, Enneagram 4s are people that tend to feel bad or wrong or broken compared to others.

Enneagram 4 path to self-love

Any self-love you express outwardly typically comes from a healthy place, and any self-harm is from a negative place. Recognise when you are being hard on yourself because you feel that you are unworthy of love or recognition. And recognise when you should be kind to yourself. Because you are the first friend you ever met, and nobody is more important than you.

Any empathy you feel towards others should come first from empathy towards yourself. By knowing and learning to accept yourself and who you are. You can also come to know and learn and become accepting of others. And you don’t need to talk bad about your own work or hold yourself back because you never feel 100% authentic or finished. Nobody is ever 100% real or 100% finished with anything.

As an Enneagram 4, what do you do in order to practice self-care and self-love. What are your tips to avoid sabotaging yourself and your own work?