7 Struggles of the Enneagram Seven Type

Fun-loving and charming, Sevens are the types you might look at and think, “They don’t have a care in the world!” But as we all know, there’s a lot more to someone than immediately meets the eye. The curious, imaginative nature of the Seven can often hide inner turmoil and anxiety that would shock the people who know them. Today we’re going to take a look at the Seven’s struggles, plus gives some strategies for dealing with those struggles!

Not sure what your enneatype is? Take our new questionnaire here!

Get an in-depth look at the unique struggles of the Enneagram Seven personality type. #Enneagram #enneatype #Personality #Seven

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Enneagram Seven Struggles

#1 – You Have So Many Ideas and So Little Time

As a Seven, your mind is buzzing with ideas on a near-constant basis. When you start doing one activity you might suddenly remember a dozen other activities you COULD be doing. Regardless of how much focus or determination you have, there’s always a sense that you’re missing out on the multitude of ideas your mind is constantly generating.

#2 – Being a Jack-of-all-Trades (and Master of None)

This struggle will apply specifically to average and unhealthy Sevens for the most part. Most Sevens like to dabble in a variety of activities, professions, and interests, rather than sticking with one thing. Ceaselessly curious, they haven’t settled long in one pasture before they see a greener one in another field! This can be a good thing, because the sheer variety of their knowledge can make them useful in dozens of situations. However, they can also miss out on the rewards of having one specialization.

#3 – Feeling Trapped Easily

Freedom is one of the core desires of your enneatype. The world is a boundless treasure trove of activities and experiences, so commitments can make you feel like a bird trapped in a cage. While you crave loyal relationships, things like marriage, family commitments, or work contracts can all give you a sense of anxiety and restlessness.

#4 – Living Impulsively and Paying the Price Later

Average Sevens consider themselves fun-loving and free-spirited. They are usually impulsive and often make split-second decisions as a way of getting immediate satisfaction. Unfortunately, these impulsive decisions often result in heartache later. As an example, a Seven might decide to leave work early and hop on a plane to Vegas, only to suffer financial and career-related consequences later.

# 5 – Burnout

As a Seven, you have an active, restless mind. You like to stay in motion, trying new things, and experiencing new possibilities all the time. Unfortunately, staying in motion can mean that you suppress guilt and anxiety by seeking out distracting activities. Especially during stress-filled moments, you may inadvertently hurt the people who mean the most to you. You worry that by sitting still and quieting your mind that you’ll experience the full weight of your anxiety and anguish. If you’re at a healthy, mature level, you may see this as something you’ve overcome and more of a childhood issue. However, Sevens who are continually escaping their anxiety often feel mentally burned out and exhausted from chasing distractions.

Related: The Enneagram 7 Child

#6 – Always Being Expected to be the “Entertainer”

As a Seven, people are often drawn to your charisma, humor, and sense of adventure. You know how to re-frame negative situations into something positive. You know how to see exciting opportunities. You love fun and possibility. People love all these traits, and so it’s usually easy for you to find friends. But sometimes the level of friendship seems very shallow. When you’re having a bad day and acting out frustration, you might find that your “friends” are only there for the good times. Unfortunately, this may drive you to further distance yourself from your own frustration and pain.

#7 – Feeling Unfocused

Sometimes as a Seven you can feel so invaded by ideas that you’re unable to focus on the task at hand. You might leave dozens of partially-completed projects in your wake, and struggle to keep up with goals you desperately want to achieve. Sometimes in the frenetic pursuit of ideas and activities you can feel mentally foggy and out of control.

5 Ways for Sevens to Get Help with Their Struggles:

  • Study your own boredom. How soon after you get bored do you look for distractions? What anxiety or grief lies under your boredom? What does it feel like in your body? What memories does it bring up? Sit with the pain and write down any revelations or thoughts that come to your mind. Doing this, even though it’s hard, can help you to re-prioritize your life and become aware of areas that need work.
  • Take a moment to live fully in the present. What beautiful gift could life be handing you right now? What joy could you be missing in your anticipation for new things? Take a moment to breathe deeply and take in everything around you.
  • When you’re feeling something negative, take time to process it completely. Don’t simply say, “I feel angry” or “I feel disappointed.” Take it further. Why are you feeling the things you are? How precise can you get with the emotion? Are you feeling cheated? Disappointed? Hopeless?
  • Reach out to people you trust and walk through your emotions with them. Ideally, pick someone who shows patience and emotional intelligence. Having friends who let you deal with negative emotions and don’t expect you to be sunny all the time is crucial for your well-being.
  • Meditation can be a really useful thing for you. Quieting down your mind, breathing deeply, and taking care of yourself spiritually – these are all effective ways to help you re-focus, avoid burnout, and make wiser decisions.

Want to Know More About Your Type? 

Check out this video for more fun facts about your type.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you have any suggestions or ideas for other Sevens? Let us know in the comments! You can also read more in the Enneagram Seven Type Profile.

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

Get an in-depth look at the unique struggles of the Enneatype Seven (and find ways to cope). #Personality #enneagram #Seven

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Want to discover more about personality type? Get the inside scoop with Susan Storm on all things typological, along with special subscriber freebies, and discounts on new eBooks and courses! Join our newsletter today!

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
, ,

Similar Posts

8 Comments

  1. Spot on! Although #6, while not inaccurat in itselfe, sometimes also manifests as: People are taken aback if you’re simply quiet or calm. Being generally talkative and maybe even funny, the day you focus on something or have some other distraction, the people who usually gather around you for entertainment think you’re angry or having some other emotional issue.

    As for your advice, I’m down with #2 and #3, but I’ll give “talking through emotions” a hard pass, lol.

    1. Yes! This a thousand times. I always say that I am not allowed to have human emotions like everyone else. I must always be happy, entertaining, carefree and full of energy. If I’m feeling sick, or just quiet, people jump all over me. It’s a lot of pressure!!!

  2. Wow so spot on! I tend to push people away because most let me down and hurt me so bad that I just dont want close friends anymore.. Rather just be acquaintances.. I am 45 and love my alone time! My best friend is my man of 20 years. I am easy going but do me wrong I can drop anyone but my kids in a heartbeat and not look back.. I have always been that way.. But I moved alot in my life, mostly childhood so was always making new friends. I went to 13 different schools, 5 were high schools! So that may be were that stems from.. If anyone else is this way I’d like to hear! Thank you!

    1. Yes, I’m the same way. I actually had a realization a few months ago that I am totally emotionally unavailable. I adore my spouse and am deeply committed to our marriage as well as our children, but I see that as a sacred bond that cannot be broken. As far as friends are concerned, they can float in and out of my life and it doesn’t matter much to me. If someone is needy or clingy, I’m gone in a heartbeat. I do have one friend who I adore beyond words and will always be friends with, but that’s about it.

    2. Ooooo yes. I never really thought of it as being hurt by people but that’s exactly what it is. But I think I myself rationalize it a lot by just saying that the way people act has more to do with themselves than it does with me. But I always expect that a friendship has an expiration date even when there’s nothing wrong with it. And I didn’t move around a lot as a kid but we always had a lot of people coming in and out of our lives. In general I have the feeling that everything and everyone is temporary but I find a lot of safety in that. You don’t have to worry about what everyone thinks of you, you don’t have to get trapped in situations that don’t suit you, you don’t have to get your feelings hurt when people leave because you understand that they were always temporary in the first place. It sounds kind of depressing now that I see it typed out but I swear this mindset brings me a lot of peace lol

    3. Yess! This is me! When I’m done, I’m DONE, and it doesn’t matter who you are (except like you said, could never do that to my kids) and I didn’t move a lot. In fact I lived in the same town my whole life.

  3. Ooooo yes. I never really thought of it as being hurt by people but that’s exactly what it is. But I think I myself rationalize it a lot by just saying that the way people act has more to do with themselves than it does with me. But I always expect that a friendship has an expiration date even when there’s nothing wrong with it. And I didn’t move around a lot as a kid but we always had a lot of people coming in and out of our lives. In general I have the feeling that everything and everyone is temporary but I find a lot of safety in that. You don’t have to worry about what everyone thinks of you, you don’t have to get trapped in situations that don’t suit you, you don’t have to get your feelings hurt when people leave because you understand that they were always temporary in the first place. It sounds kind of depressing now that I see it typed out but I swear this mindset brings me a lot of peace lol

  4. Can we remove the “master of none” from Jack-of-all-Trades (and Master of None)??!
    That description is terribly discouraging.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *