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Things INTPs can do just to relax

Magus

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Hey everyone, the title says it all. What do you do to relax/unwind?

Specifically I'm talking about pausing the Ti for a second and just letting go of the endless analysis and paranoia. Sometimes I work myself into a loop of just endless and directionless thought (for example worrying about how broad trends in the labour market make the skills offered by my degree irrelevant -- that sort of thing) and every now and again I find the stress just gets to me. :storks:

I'm experimenting with meditation and exercise (pushups/jogging really kind of light stuff). I've found just drinking to excess by myself works wonders sometimes but can really get you down if you're not in the right mental space (not to mention its REALLY not a sort of ritual you want to develop).

So, what does INTPf do to unwind?
 

own8ge

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Ha, I like your avatar. Where is it from? It's on the tip of my tongue.. But I can't remember :(

I'm not an INTP. But I would suppose that presuming things will make you relax? In my experience, that is what the INTP like the most. To presume o.O
 

Magus

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Thanks! Its Silva from 007 Skyfall. :)

Hmm sorry for being difficult, but could you be more specific on what you mean by presuming things?
 

own8ge

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Thanks! Its Silva from 007 Skyfall. :)

Hmm sorry for being difficult, but could you be more specific on what you mean by presuming things?

Ha it was more like a joke. ;)
But erm.. Think of it like this. The INTP thinks naturally in Ti-Ne. Thus, a main focus on Ti. (Conclusiveness). Which is based on Ne (Perception). So the INTP progresses Introvert Conclusiveness by the usage of Extrovert perception.

So erm... Try to internally consider things and evolve this by perceiving things? Ha. I'm no INTP :confused:
 

Brontosaurie

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own8ge is right on. to relax we need to stop doubting and just go with a premise.
 

TurdsOfDavid

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I know what you mean OP. I am happy when I start getting excited about some topic and turn to thinking about it all the time from all the possible angles and about all the outcomes etc etc but the thinking becomes heavy and even burdensome as time progresses.

For when this happens, I find that just clogging that sewer of thoughts for some period of time helps and I do this by self indulging...which is usually switching topics of interest. I enjoy thinking hard about strategies in video games. Sounds lame but you'd appreciate it if you were me for how concrete the subject matter is, as opposed to the more complex stuff that had me bent over in the first place.
:kodama1:
 

Proletar

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I started rolling my own cigarettes a while back. After buying pipe-tobacco instead of rolling-tobacco by mistake one time, I bought myself a pipe.

Basically, I've picked up pipe-smoking and reduced my other intakes of nicotine. When I come home from work trying to relax, I load a pipe and light it. I then focus on analyzing the flavours and fragrents of the tobacco while the nicotine calms my nerves. It's like music, only it's based on the senses of smell and taste instead of hearing. It's a great way to unwind.
 

kvothe27

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Mindfulness meditation removes my conceptual filters and often allows me to just act after finishing.
 

Lot

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Pipe tobacco is a great way to wind down. It takes your mind off things, when you load your pipe, and the calming affects center thoughts on less negative things. Alcohol is nice, but as I get older I can't quite stomach it like I used to. Although, I have a hard time turning down tequila on the rocks.

Video games is one of my preferred way to relax. Although, if the games gets too hard you need to know when to quit before you brake something. I also watch anime. I know there is a number of people here that don't like it, but it works for me. I'm more into the girly ones, and the psychological thrillers. One for making me think, the other for making me feel. But I'll watch just about any show that focuses mostly on characters.

I do like to wind down with friends. Go to a bar and have a few over priced drinks. Maybe a little get together and talk about how life has been. When you have honest ffiends that are willing to be vulnerable and tell you life sucks, or they are depressed, it helps to let you know that you aren't alone. Or sitting in a back yard with your buddy smoking cigars acting as if you know how the universe works, just bullshitting about stuff. That's doesn't shut off the Ti, but it lets it be stupid for a while. I have a friend that likes to improvise stories with me. We pretend as if we are some character and talk to each other as these characters that are mad about some silly issue. Like a bunch of hill billies mad at people that use clean water and cook their food.
 

Architect

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I've found that the most relaxing things to do for myself as an INTP actually don't get entirely away from my Ti/Ne predilections but use them in a different, low key way. These are a collection of things I do

  • Go for walks to think and speculate. What works best is to turn a video camera on myself. The video works well to get me talking and thinking, because I'm prompted to say something and discover. By doing this I work through issues and unwind stuff going on, and often times get a clarity on my life I can't get another way.
  • Photography Another great way to use Ti & Ne in a relaxing and constructive way. Also brings in Si and gets me engaged in the world in a S manner. More in-the-moment.
  • Music Unfortunately I have a long competitive/professional history with music so while it should be relaxing it has baggage that makes it less so. Still ...
  • Reading SciFi Ti/Si in a relaxed enjoyable way.
  • Watching SciFi Same
  • Watching certain reality TV shows. For me Deadliest Catch, Gold Rush etc, anything from Discovery Channel where I can learn how these blue collar guys do their jobs is very relaxing while still engaging Ti/Ne.
 
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Reading. I love to read and research. I know that research isn't really "pausing the Ti" though, so I'll just stick with reading. I'm working on Game of Thrones book one right now and it's very good. It's a sort of escapism, I guess, but I like it. I love being absorbed into another world.

Being outdoors. I love hiking, camping, boating, climbing, etc. It's so calming and centering for me. It's truly a spiritual experience.

I window shop. It would be real shopping if I had the money, but I don't, so I create ridiculously large wishlists lol.

Cooking. I love to get lost in the repetitive motions of cooking and baking. It's very cathartic and takes my mind off of everything else.
 

Brandon

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I find that for myself so much of how i spend my time is dedicated to thinking, or reflecting on thoughts I've previously had and my brain is always linkaging one idea to another or causing a whole new chain of thought to the point that I can be almost constantly entertained in my appetite for information or ideas. Because I can be so easily entertained by reading and rumination sometimes feel as if I'm a dog chained to a moving vehicle that is my thoughts. For the most part I find such immense satisfaction in this that I am convinced I am not simply hiding myself from the world but I really feel that I am actually throwing myself fully into it in my attempt to learn. I feel that the world offers such an abundance of things to puzzle over, each requiring a large amount of time to become aquanted with that to dedicate oneself to the pursuit of one thing would be to the exclusion of everything else, the opportunity cost of specialization for intp's or me at least feels too great. Thus I'm lead endlessly scouring the internet, mentally taking notes of topics, authors and subjects which I should add to my essentially endless backlog of reading material. This constant input and consideration of data while endlessly pleasurable and distracting does sometime lead me to feel as I'm engaging in the most absurd of all activities by taking this all in to ultimately do not much more with it than to have a more informed picture of the world. I find it very difficult sometimes to rectify these feelings within myself, the tension created from family and society to do something with your life when they can't realize that part of what I'm doing behind my computer, or behind my book IS already doing what I value in life. The issue is how can I translate this into career, especially when my real heroes and people whose principles and lifestyles i would like to model myself on are essentially philosophers and cosmologists. The struggle for me is admitting what I want to really do with my life because it feels too big for me, and always question my own relative intelligence.I feel like I got an extra scoop of intelligence, enough to be fascinated by these things and want to pursue them, but not enough to really do it. Part of it is being frankly intimidated by the workload, I know my history with procrastination and homework, I have huge self doubts about my dedication to everything except my obsessive love/search for understanding nearly everything. I have serious doubts to my ability to build the discipline I will need to live such an ambitious life and worry I will never amount to more than being just another worker in the machine taking home a paycheck to console myself in entertainment and consumerism all the while thinking myself capable of more. I just want to find where I fit in, I want to love what I do so I never feel like I work a day in my life and I feel like it's simply an intellectual challenge to understand myself and what that should be.

Quite sorry for that long ramble, but this is the first time I'm really expressing these thoughts and I don't generally contribute to forums, but I can't help given the simple satisfaction I derive just from finally finding a place on the internet where I don't feel like an alien, or the ONLY person actually understanding the thread of a conversation, it's refreshing to read clearly expressed rational thoughts. Especially when they so often mirror or exactly reflect the same issues I contemplate daily.

Anyways, my actual point I find the best way for myself to stop actively thinking and really relax is a good audiobook(also movies/tv). A great narrator combined with an immersive fantasy or sci-fi story really draws me and my internal monologue is mostly content to enjoy. I certainly am thinking and relating to the book as I listen, but I find the story mostly serves to keep my thoughts enthralled rather than probing constantly for more which is what can be exhausting for me. I sometimes just focus on breathing as an exercise to stop my thoughts, i think I'd like to devote more effort to practicing this, but I wouldn't want to just give myself fully into that like some eastern spiritualists recommend, I use it more just for a breath respite to refresh myself before returning back to my thoughts reinvigorated. I've also been getting into better shape, just try to add a little more overall balance to myself and exercise can often leave me in a better mood, and I almost feel more lucid afterwards, my thoughts have better flow and I feel like I come to understand the drift of my thinking more.
 

Architect

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I don't mean to call you out @thekatspajamas and no offense intended, but I'm seriously doubting you are an INTP. Might be worth a reexamination.

I'd suspect S with N in the inferior, which is your attractor point and why you think you are an INTP. This is particularly as people frequently mistype themselves as their endpoint attractor to try to appease the inferior. I actually did the same as a youngster, I typed myself as an INFJ because in a now obvious attempt to integrate my Fe. I see the same thing happening with my INTP son.
 

Ink

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I don't mean to call you out @thekatspajamas and no offense intended, but I'm seriously doubting you are an INTP. Might be worth a reexamination.

I'd suspect S with N in the inferior, which is your attractor point and why you think you are an INTP. This is particularly as people frequently mistype themselves as their endpoint attractor to try to appease the inferior. I actually did the same as a youngster, I typed myself as an INFJ because in a now obvious attempt to integrate my Fe. I see the same thing happening with my INTP son.

For some reason she reminds me of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyqG8RseA6M

SFP obsessed with Ni (yes I sometimes end up watching weird clips on my youtube ventures)
 

Architect

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For some reason she reminds me of

ESFP obsessed with Ni (yes I sometimes end up watching weird clips on my youtube ventures)

Uh ... I doubt I'd appreciate a comparison to her btw, and I don't see it.

Anyhow fascinating women in a way, able to be that open with sex, about sex ... obvious SP, just doesn't seem to care or have a thought about it. Reminds me of something from the first PUM about SP's being the sexual athletes.
 

TurdsOfDavid

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I don't mean to call you out @thekatspajamas and no offense intended, but I'm seriously doubting you are an INTP. Might be worth a reexamination.

I'd suspect S with N in the inferior, which is your attractor point and why you think you are an INTP. This is particularly as people frequently mistype themselves as their endpoint attractor to try to appease the inferior. I actually did the same as a youngster, I typed myself as an INFJ because in a now obvious attempt to integrate my Fe. I see the same thing happening with my INTP son.

I don't think you had enough information in the first place. What is an INTP like? I've only read the first few google results but people are saying that some are already rejected or this or that and I am not sure what to believe.
 

Ink

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Uh ... I doubt I'd appreciate a comparison to her btw, and I don't see it.

Anyhow fascinating women in a way, able to be that open with sex, about sex ... obvious SP, just doesn't seem to care or have a thought about it. Reminds me of something from the first PUM about SP's being the sexual athletes.

I did not mean to compare them to eachother on an all personal level, I just thought it more of an example of the concept of an S being attracted to inferior N, hope I didn't disrespect you thekatspajamas!

And I'd say ESFPs are almost promiscuous by nature, not all of them of course but easily the most promiscuos type.
 

Architect

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I did not mean to compare them to eachother on an all personal level, I just thought it more of an example of the concept of an S being attracted to inferior N, hope I didn't disrespect you thekatspajamas!

I know you didn't mean it that way.

And I'd say ESFPs are almost promiscuous by nature, not all of them of course but easily the most promiscuos type.

Hmm, yes, good way to express it.
 

Etheri

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meditation

I've found just drinking to excess by myself works wonders sometimes but can really get you down if you're not in the right mental space (not to mention its REALLY not a sort of ritual you want to develop).

So, what does INTPf do to unwind?

I enjoy thinking hard about strategies in video games. Sounds lame but you'd appreciate it if you were me for how concrete the subject matter is, as opposed to the more complex stuff that had me bent over in the first place.

When I come home from work trying to relax, I load a pipe and light it. I then focus on analyzing the flavours and fragrents of the tobacco while the nicotine calms my nerves. It's like music, only it's based on the senses of smell and taste instead of hearing. It's a great way to unwind.


  • Go for walks to think and speculate.
  • Music
  • Watching certain TV shows.

Anything that'll take my mind somewhere else does. These habits kind of depend on my mood, but I used to game watch series and read lots. I enjoy walking and listening to music too.
Last few months i've been abusing weed to relax. Fairly soon after toking I enter a more quiet mindspace, i'll usually listen to music or lay down meditating and thinking to relax. (Sometimes eventually falling asleep).

Also sleep. Sleep is amazing.
 

Duxwing

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Interpreting poetry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWCFtWks32o

Although listening to this song is saddening by itself, listening to it after reading its context, Martin The Warrior, is heartbreaking, and its sheer density and depth is astounding considering that its context is a children's novel. Kiddie Lit: Deep stuff.

-Duxwing
 
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I don't mean to call you out @thekatspajamas and no offense intended, but I'm seriously doubting you are an INTP. Might be worth a reexamination.

I'd suspect S with N in the inferior, which is your attractor point and why you think you are an INTP. This is particularly as people frequently mistype themselves as their endpoint attractor to try to appease the inferior. I actually did the same as a youngster, I typed myself as an INFJ because in a now obvious attempt to integrate my Fe. I see the same thing happening with my INTP son.

I've tested INTP multiple times over the years, both in informal "fun" tests online and the "official" test when I was in the Air Force.

I'll be honest, though, after reading your post, I just went and read a few profiles and I have a lot of qualities of the ISTP. I'm certainly a bit of a daredevil-- I love rock climbing, climbing mountains, kayaking, caving, etc. I'm extremely independent and strongly dislike emotional arguments-- I think they're irrelevant and frankly, irritating. I'm loyal to a fault and have a strong distaste for rules and laws for which I don't personally see a need.

Hm. I'll have to think on this. Sorry, what do you mean "endpoint attractor"? I'm not familiar with the term.

For some reason she reminds me of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyqG8RseA6M

SFP obsessed with Ni (yes I sometimes end up watching weird clips on my youtube ventures)

No. First and foremost, I would never be a mistress. I am diametrically opposed to that sense of morality (or lack thereof). Just no.

Uh ... I doubt I'd appreciate a comparison to her btw, and I don't see it.

Anyhow fascinating women in a way, able to be that open with sex, about sex ... obvious SP, just doesn't seem to care or have a thought about it. Reminds me of something from the first PUM about SP's being the sexual athletes.

Thank you. I agree, I don't resemble her at all, other than the reproductive system that we share.

I'm generally not open about sex at all. To me, that's something very personal and I'm not interested in everyone knowing my business. It's always been a private subject for me, so if openness about the bedroom is an SP trait, that makes me reconsider the possibility that I might be one.
 

Architect

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I've tested INTP multiple times over the years, both in informal "fun" tests online and the "official" test when I was in the Air Force.

I'll be honest, though, after reading your post, I just went and read a few profiles and I have a lot of qualities of the ISTP. I'm certainly a bit of a daredevil-- I love rock climbing, climbing mountains, kayaking, caving, etc. I'm extremely independent and strongly dislike emotional arguments-- I think they're irrelevant and frankly, irritating. I'm loyal to a fault and have a strong distaste for rules and laws for which I don't personally see a need.

Hm. I'll have to think on this. Sorry, what do you mean "endpoint attractor"? I'm not familiar with the term.

I'm generally not open about sex at all. To me, that's something very personal and I'm not interested in everyone knowing my business. It's always been a private subject for me, so if openness about the bedroom is an SP trait, that makes me reconsider the possibility that I might be one.

@thekatspajamas

Oh Ink didn't mean anything by that and I was afraid you might get the wrong impression. No the SP sex thing isn't universal, just that some SP's are the sexual athletes of humanity. Not all of them though, and especially with women it tends to be more selective as you might imagine.

Regardless yes the ISTP's are our very close cousins - my brother is one and he and I are very similar with distinct differences - including the daredevil aspect. If you are like that then I'd say it's a clincher, INTP's rarely are like that and ISTP's almost always.

This might be helpful

ISTP vs INTP
 

Ink

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@thekatspajamas, I have barely read any of your posts so obviously I'm not qualified to type you, it was more of a reply about the stereotype Architect mentioned... I choose my words badly sometimes
 

Cherry Cola

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Either INFJ's and INTP's relax similarly or I personally relax like an INTP, that's my conclusion from this thread.

Can also totally relate to the Ti zoom out phenomena, I do the same thing with Ni, although then it's like laying some kind of visual puzzle with concepts trying to fit it all together, I can only get to analyzing in detail when the puzzle feels done.
 
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@thekatspajamas

Oh Ink didn't mean anything by that and I was afraid you might get the wrong impression. No the SP sex thing isn't universal, just that some SP's are the sexual athletes of humanity. Not all of them though, and especially with women it tends to be more selective as you might imagine.

Regardless yes the ISTP's are our very close cousins - my brother is one and he and I are very similar with distinct differences - including the daredevil aspect. If you are like that then I'd say it's a clincher, INTP's rarely are like that and ISTP's almost always.

This might be helpful

ISTP vs INTP

Huh, very cool, thank you for the video. Is it terrible that I'm still not sure which I am?

I certainly lean towards ISTP in that I am athletic (though I am NOT coordinated and I don't enjoy much competition). I hike, I do a lot of calisthenics (when I can convince myself to actually do them, which sadly is a few times a month these days lol), etc. I was overweight in my childhood because I sat around reading all of the time, but when I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to lose the weight and get in shape, so I did, and I've kept it off ever since. Could it be that I'm athletic because I want to avoid the self-hate that came with my weight, rather than because I have a natural predisposition for athleticism? Also, I do enjoy exciting activities like climbing and caving-- they're a blast, even if I'm a little terrified sometimes lol.

But I'm most definitely a creative thinker. I'll sit and think about knot theory or relativity or even all of the different parts of a fantasy world from a novel that I'm reading. I love to take something and try to wrap my mind around it and explore it.

I've never been very mechanically inclined as far as wanting to know how an engine works or anything. I'm just not interested-- being a mechanic would bore me to tears. But I do enjoy learning how processes work in science-- for instance, how photosynthetic cells create glucose, or how nebular theory works. So I guess I'm an in-between there?

Sorry for derailing the thread, here! My primary "relaxing" activity is reading :)
 
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@thekatspajamas, I have barely read any of your posts so obviously I'm not qualified to type you, it was more of a reply about the stereotype Architect mentioned... I choose my words badly sometimes

No worries, I wasn't too bothered-- more disgruntled than anything else haha :)

I'm just a bit prickly at being compared to someone who sleeps with married celebrities, that's all.
 

tokoum

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I like to go be alone in the woods or in the water and tire my body out, use cannabis, or do some repetitive mindless task (roll up a ton of joints, put together legos, weed the garden, whatever; I just like doing a bunch of one thing). I think that the thing that relaxes me about all of these activities is that I don't have to think about them. As INTPs, I think that it's easy for us to tie our brains into knots thinking too much when doing something intellectually engaging. It's almost like a kind of meditation for me when I can focus on something physical for a while.
 

Magus

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Actually I can relate to the repetitive things; I sometimes obsessively list the things in my life in different categories (e.g. clothes), deciding what I can get rid of, or clean my room many times over/organise books.

Good to know I'm not the only one.
 

b3th

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Definitely reading. It still keeps the Ti occupied, but in a more pleasurable way.

If I want to turn Ti OFF, the only thing that'll do it is sleep, or alcohol. I don't like being out of control as much, though... so alcohol can be dicey.
 
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