One thing that I sometimes suggest as a start point  is the MBTI
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator..

The MBTI gives preference on 4 scales in different directions based on Jungian typology.  In each of the 4 scales you get a letter code.  In that way there is a total of 16 possible combinations, and each combo forms a type.

The types are fully described and each gets a fun, name.

Once you get your results you can record those (including the A or T that some assessments have, and read the result and see if you agree with it.



I usually say that it makes sense to go over the letters individually as the assessment is often looking at the 4 letter code and emphasizing that a bit too much.

Did you keep your percentages on each letter? The % is important as it is the degree of your preference and how strong it is....
Did you want to talk about these via messages?




So the first scale or continuum is the introversion to extroversion scale.
It is your "focus of attention" which is the "inner world of ideas" that energizes or recharges you.
For you that is the world of ideas, not people (so much) and that usually means that it costs you energy to interact socially.
Most introverts have a small number of friends (3-5) and are ok hanging out with them.



Probably one of the biggest issues for the introvert, so much so that I often call it the introvert's dillema; has to do with wanting to be in a relationship yet not having the social energy to pursue one. The problem is often easier for a female introvert to solve, in that if she wants a companion she can easily find one, if she has a reasonable attractiveness and youth.

So the thing that we seem to know for sure is that you are an introvert.  So this is something that is very important and a good place to work from/  Introverts only have a small amount of energy to pursue social interactions, and they frequently use all their battery to do work/school or required thing.  Introverts need time to themselves in order to recharge.  They also have a small group of friends and prefer small gatherings of "intimates", people they know well.   This gathering is one of the few places they can socialize without being drained of social energy, if that makes sense.  There is also a delimma for wanting to have a relationship but not having the energy to find the person or sometimes to maintain the relationship (the other person may place demands on your time.......




The next letter is known as "information input", and that is (S) sensing, which is the gathering of details and facts that can be confirmed by experience. The (N) is intuition, which is gathering ideas and extrapolating future possibilities. The (N) Intuitive is often thought of as the "Dreamer".....

Does this letter make sense as well as a stand alone idea?


**********
Are personality test real?  Do they mean anything or is it just something to make us think deeply about ourselves?  Do we spend too much time in the shallows of our minds, and not enough in the true depths?
Personality Test: The Field, Cube, Ladder, Horse, and Flower Question
https://owlcation.com/social-s...ick-personality-test

*****

The Karpman Drama Triangle, and it is how people can take on and shift among the roles of the triangle.
The three roles are called different things, hero/rescuer is one, then villian/persecutor and the last one is victim.

The idea is like the mom takes on the persecutor role, telling the kids to wait until their father gets home.
Once the dad gets home, he goes to discipline the kid,  taking on the persecutor role, the child begins screaming bloody murder(victim role), and the mom becomes the rescuer swooping in to save the kid from the too aggressive father.........

Another way this plays out is two people in conflict may try to draw in a third person without them knowing (a process called triangulation);
So if your parents are in conflict and the dad wants to sell the house, and mom wants to keep it.
Which ever one you talk to will let you know their side, and draw you unknowingly into the conflict....

The three roles in the drama triangle: persecutor, rescuer, victim.
Fortunately there is an idea of stepping out of the roles and into another or new role in the triangle.....The winners triangle!
The 3 new roles are often called Coach/caring; Challenger/assertive; Creator/vulnerable
It takes some time to learn the new role, but it is not impossible.

*******
5 finger breathing is a breathing and grounding technique good for self soothing.

You hold your left hand palm facing you fingers spread, and then you use your right hand, index finger to trace, starting at the base of the thumb.  As you trace up the thumb, that is an inhale, stopping at the point, and then exhaling as you trace down the inside of the thumb.  You basically trace each finger, inhaling on the way up and exhaling on the way down.

You will notice that you can feel your finger trace each one as you go through the exercise.

Obviously there are more advanced techniques, but this one can be done anywhere and it is good to set up visual reminders and visual cues, in case you are trying to counter the effect of "flipping your lid" so to speak......

The hand model of the brain is somewhat useful to think about the amygdyla fires warning of danger, and the more it fires or the bigger the threat it registers the easier it is for the rational part of the brain to go offline.

I like to think about the robot in Lost in Space, the one who is always saying "Danger, danger, Will Robinson."  In many instances it seems like the robots programming might be overly sensitive to detecting danger....

One research basis of this has to do with the ability of a person to identify the other person's emotional state from say happy to angry, and say the middle point is neutral to most people, it was found that some could start to identify the warning signs of anger, when the person was still on or expressing what most people would identify as "happy" rather than seeing the emerging or shift to anger.....

The most basic breathing "technique" is called two inhales, one long exhale.
Have you ever heard of the "physiological sigh" it is something we have known about since the 1930's; it happens automatically at times such as going to sleep?  In the most basic idea it is a double inhale, and slow exhale.....it causes deeper breathing, more depression of the diaphragm, which fills more sacs of the lungs, and literally releases pressure on the heart, which sends feedback to the amygdala.....

I am all for looking into your own journey of breathing, meditation, mindfulness, Apps, videos, guided imagery, etc
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:35, Mon 14 Aug 2023.