What do INFJs say about how they can be at their best and worst? Personally, as an INFJ, I have seen myself move from at my worst to at my best. If you can recognise your emotional patterns you can also respond better to them when they happen and better manage your emotions.

Level one – INFJ Explosion

— Critical Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging

Overwhelmed by chores and a full to-do-list. You seem to not be able to catch up with anything happening around you. That overwhelm has driven you into a frenzied state where you are constantly going a hundred miles per hour trying to keep up with everything that needs to be kept up to date with. You simply cannot prioritise – and you are now paying the prize for it. Your energy quickly seeping away, a crash is imminent. You feel furious with yourself for not being able to manage your life puzzle and emotions better.

In this state, it is best to take a step back to prioritise if possible.

Level Two – INFJ Stress

– Low Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging

Your energy almost completely drained, you are feeling exhausted, and you’ve barely got energy for anything more than staring at a screen. But even while doing that, you simply cannot relax. You’re full of frustration for missed work and opportunities. You blame yourself for not acting earlier. People are unable to communicate with you, because you’re unable to take anything in anymore. You feel like a loser, doing nothing, and getting nowhere.

Speak kindly to yourself and recognise when you are unable to be objective about a situation.

Level Three – Redemption

/ Average Introversion
– Low Intuition
– Low Feeling
/ Average Judging

You’re feeling highly self-critical. You are analysing your every decision thinking about things you could have done better. You are being very hard on yourself. Your frustration makes you more focused and is helping you deal with things, but in a very erratic and intense manner. You are probably very hard to be around right now, as you can only see things from a very narrow perspective.

Take time to slow down and regain perspective. You are on the right track.

Level Four – INFJ Autopilot

+ High Introversion
– Low Intuition
– Low Feeling
+ High Judging

Your focus is starting to become more clear and you are starting to speak more softly to yourself. You have calmed down and you are starting to pick up the pieces, but you are feeling very tired and you do not have much energy to take action. Your focus is on dealing with the most obvious issues in your life. You are making amends and you feel a sense of guilt. You feel that you have not been able to be the person you want to be for the people in your life that you care about. You can feel stuck in a rut and unsure how to solve the problems you are facing.

Try to find some fresh perspective or ideas to feed your intuition.

Level Five – INFJ Stagnation

/ Average Introversion, Intuition, Feeling and Judging

You are kind of on the fence between an ebb and a flow. You can either fall back into guilt or frustration, or you can start to recover and reclaim some of your projects or ideas, or what is left of them. You can also choose to start fresh with a new idea or a vision if that is what you wish. You feel confusion and doubt over your future and what your next best move is in life.

With change comes some unusual doubt and uncertainty. This is natural. Don’t be afraid.

Level Six – INFJ Confidence

+ High Introversion
/ Average Intuition
/ Average Feeling
+ High Judging

You are starting to channel your focus into some tangible project or course of action. You are making some moves, but you are moving slowly and cautiously as you do. You are afraid to let yourself get too carried away. You have some doubt about if you are making the right decision or if you should start over with something else.

Level Seven – INFJ Flow

+ High Introversion
+ High Intuition
+ High Feeling
+ High Judging

You are starting to develop some passion for what you do. You feel bolder than usual and more prepared to put yourself out there. You show that you care about what you do and where you are going. You allow yourself to feel certain that you are making positive steps in your life. You feel that you are going forward.

Level Eight – INFJ Inspiration

/ Average Introversion
+ High Intuition
+ High Feeling
/ Average Judging

Your passion is starting to become more intense and you may start becoming obsessive about your ideas and projects. You spend almost every waking minute thinking about your ideas and you feel a high passion for what you do. You can appear eccentric in your hobbies, but you can recognise when you are taking things too far, and can laugh about and distance yourself from your dreams when necessary.

Level Nine – INFJ Obsession

– High Extroversion
+ High Intuition
+ High Feeling
– High Perceiving

You are racing forward towards your vision and you feel as if nothing can stop you. You may feel as if you cannot stop yourself. You are literally in overdrive, working full time on your projects.You may forget to sleep or eat because you are so focused. You may also find yourself neglecting friends and forgetting about things that are happening right in front of you. At this point, you could easily tip back over to Level One or back to Eight.

Recommended Reading:

15 Differences between INFPs and INFJs

Psychology Junkie: The Unhealthy INFJ

Which level are you at right now and do you recognise these twists and turns in yourself as an INFJ?