MNFJ

It has really started to feel like there should be another category for people like me in Myer-Briggs called MNFJ--misanthropic-intuitive-feeling-judgemental. Today, I again lost it when one of my annoying officemates came in with a PhD based in another room, and made herself comfortable. It really feels like fate is testing me. Instead of getting respite from the acquaintances in my life whose mere presence gnaws at my nerves, said acquaintances are bringing more people into my life. I am not a complete misanthrope, but I strongly prefer my own company to even harmless company. If I manage to stick around in academia, I can't wait to be senior enough to have my own office. Living with and working with people I am fond of seems like an unattainable luxury. What I would give just to be alone. I have written before about how there are two antidotes to loneliness--finding company or improving the quality of your solitude. Sometimes, neither are an option, and one just has to solider on as best one can. Try not to be too much of a saint or too much of a curmudgeon. And, remember that I haven't permanently become a misanthrope. This is just a stressful time for everyone and the stress bubbles up in surprising ways.