How You Deal with Uncertainty, Based On Your Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

Uncertainty is like an unexpected group project with life. You didn’t sign up, you don’t know the rules, and half the people involved are already melting down into existential dread or rage-cleaning their kitchens.

Every personality type has its own coping mechanisms. Some make to-do lists. Some organize their sock drawers. Some emotionally implode and then pretend they’re “just tired.” And some… actually handle it well (we try not to resent those people).

But there’s something universal here too. When things get bad enough, when life throws on the fog machine, cuts the lights, and hands you a broken compass, we all hit a point where our wiring starts to short-circuit. And then things get weird.

So let’s walk through how each type deals with uncertainty, and what happens when their typical strategies stop working. If you’re spiraling, this might help. Or at least give you something to scream-laugh about.

Estimated reading time: 22 minutes

The ENFP – Find the possibilities in it

Everyone needs to strap into their seatbelts because…

At first, chaos feels like possibility to you. While other people are melting into their couches, you’re already halfway through a color-coded mind map, rethinking your life goals, Googling obscure scholarships in Finland, and wondering if this is finally the moment you learn to make sourdough. You’re spinning ten plates, humming with ideas, and honestly? It’s kind of putting you in flow.

You tell yourself, “This is fine. We love change. Change is good. Growth mindset. Right?” (This is often followed by maniacal Pinterest scrolling and four new browser tabs about writing a memoir.)

But here’s the thing, when stress becomes chronic, something shifts. Suddenly, instead of juggling possibilities, you drop all the balls and fixate on something weirdly specific. Like alphabetizing your spice rack. Or rigidly following a to-do list that wasn’t even yours. The sparkle dims. The tunnel vision sets in. You forget how to dream and start micromanaging your hydration levels.

That’s grip stress. And it sucks.

When that hits, go easy on yourself. Take one of those wild ideas you had earlier and follow it—not all of them. Just one. Go outside. Move your body. Call someone who makes you laugh and doesn’t expect you to have it all figured out. You’re not meant to be trapped in logistics. You’re meant to dance with the unknown, not duct-tape it to the floor.

You can find out more about that here: What ENFPs Do When They’re Really Stressed Out.

The ENTP – Brainstorm

When things get murky, your brain asks,“What if this is an opportunity?” You collect ideas like they’re Pokémon. Nothing is nailed down, and that’s exactly how you like it. Who needs a plan when you have potential?

But here’s where it gets sneaky: while your brain’s doing somersaults over a hundred possibilities, your body is quietly filing complaints. You forget to eat. You forget to breathe. You forget that ‘staying informed’ doesn’t mean reading 28 conflicting articles at 2 a.m. while clutching a snack and muttering, “Interesting… interesting…”

Eventually, the crash comes. And when it does, it hits sideways.

You go from high-speed idea machine to emotionally short-circuited human puddle. Everything feels like a dead end. Your jokes get sharper, but there’s an edge of despair to them. Suddenly, the future looks bleak and your body feels like it’s made of static. You start googling symptoms instead of solutions. That’s grip stress. It’s not fun, but it’s a signal.

When this happens, step away from the rabbit holes. Drink water. Stretch. Reconnect with someone who makes you feel human and grounded and not like a malfunctioning trivia bot. The chaos will still be there tomorrow. You don’t have to solve it all tonight.

The INFP – Analyze

Uncertainty feels like emotional vertigo. You’re trying to hold on to something solid, but everything around you is spinning, and your brain is like, “Hmm, what if we overthink the meaning of everything instead?”

So you do what any self-respecting INFP does: you retreat. Into music, books, a Google doc filled with existential doodles, anything that feels like a safe internal harbor. You sift through your feelings like a detective.

What am I really feeling?
What does this say about my values?
Can I still be a good person if I want to scream into a pillow?

You try to make peace with the unknown by looking for meaning inside it. Maybe this is a turning point. Maybe you’re being shaped. Maybe you just need to listen to that one Sufjan Stevens song again and everything will make sense.

But when the stress drags on too long, your wiring flips. Suddenly you’re less floaty idealist, more burned-out critic. Everything and everyone is flawed. You’re snapping at the people you love. You’re doom-scrolling and seething and wondering why nobody else is fixing the world. You feel like you have to take over just to keep things from collapsing.

That’s grip stress. It means your brain’s trying to protect you by turning you into a control freak with a moral hangover.

So pause. Reconnect with something that reminds you why you care in the first place. A story. A sunset. Someone kind. You’re not weak for feeling all of this, you’re just full of meaning in a world that doesn’t always reward that. Don’t lose the thread.

You can find out more about that here: 12 Stress-Busting Tips for INFPs.

The INTP – Gather Information

You’d rather face a hostile alien species than an unpredictable job interview. Uncertainty is fine in theory, just not when it messes with your systems.

Your coping mechanism? Research. Endless, beautiful, soul-numbing research. You collect data like a librarian hoarding forbidden knowledge. You read every article, double-check the sources, and watch three documentaries just to prove one Reddit thread wrong.

The good news? This usually works. You get clarity, or at least a decent illusion of it. You can’t control the unknown, but you can label it, diagram it, and categorize it until it feels less threatening.

But then… something cracks.

Maybe your brain hits decision fatigue. Maybe the data starts contradicting itself. Maybe you just haven’t slept in three days. Suddenly, you’re not just overwhelmed—you’re moody. Touchy. Weirdly sentimental. You hate this version of yourself. Why are you crying at an animated commercial? Why are you Googling “how to make friends as an adult”?

That’s grip stress. It hijacks your Ti and drags you into emotional territory you don’t understand and never asked for.

When this happens, do something grounding. Eat something real. Talk to someone you trust, even if it feels awkward. Take a break from problem-solving and let your brain go idle for a while. You’re not broken. You’re just human. Annoying, I know.

You can find out more about that here: How Each Myers-Briggs® Type Reacts to Stress (and How to Help!)

The ENFJ – Bring People Together

You see uncertainty, and you immediately start scanning for who’s falling apart so you can hold them together with tea, text check-ins, and motivational quotes you don’t even believe right now but hope someone else might. You organize Zoom support calls. You check in on your friend’s friend’s dog. You remember birthdays. You are the glue. The emotionally literate glue.

Meanwhile, your own brain is quietly crumbling in the background.

Eventually, when the chaos doesn’t quit and the group chat is a mess of emotional SOS messages, you retreat. You shut the door, cancel everything, and disappear into a quiet corner with a journal and the haunting feeling that maybe this is all your fault.

You analyze. Obsess. Rehash every conversation. Try to find the root of the problem. You want to solve it, fix it, bring peace back to the kingdom. But the more you think, the more scrambled everything gets. You start nitpicking yourself. You question your competence. You become your own worst critic.

That’s grip stress. It turns your warm, charismatic self into a twitchy, self-critical mess who can’t stop organizing your thoughts into twelve competing flowcharts.

When this hits, stop. Drop the clipboard. Go outside. Talk to someone who doesn’t expect you to have it all together. You don’t have to fix the world right now. You don’t even have to fix yourself. Just breathe.

You can find out more about that here: What ENFJs Do When They Get Really Stressed Out.

The ENTJ – Find Answers

You hate uncertainty like it insulted your mother.

You don’t just want answers—you demand them, preferably in bullet-point form with estimated delivery dates. So the second chaos hits, you go full battlefield commander. You strategize. You plan. You snap people out of panic mode with the same tone you’d use to fire an incompetent intern.

You try to logic your way into control. Even if you’re screaming inside, on the outside you are Productivity™. You’re setting goals, delegating tasks, doing twelve things before breakfast. People assume you’re fine because you’re still functioning.

But under the surface? You’re not fine.

If the uncertainty doesn’t budge—and especially if your strategies don’t work—you start crumbling. Quietly, resentfully. You stop trusting your own brain. You start reading too much into people’s tone. You pick fights. You cry at commercials and then rage-clean your whole kitchen. It’s grip stress, and it turns you into the emotionally reactive version of yourself you thought you evolved past in 2006.

When this hits, press pause. A real pause. Not a “take a break by reorganizing your life goals” kind of pause. A human one. Do something pointless but grounding. Talk to someone who doesn’t need fixing. Let your system reset before you bulldoze yourself trying to fix everything.

You can find out more about this here: Here’s What Each Extroverted Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Needs When They’re Stressed.

The INFJ – Sort Through Perspectives

Uncertainty feels like a glitch in the matrix. You saw the patterns. You connected the dots. You knew how this was supposed to go. And now? The future is just… fuzzy static. Nothing adds up. Nothing feels right.

So you retreat.

You need quiet. Not “taking a walk with a podcast” quiet, real quiet. The kind where your thoughts can stretch out and breathe and maybe whisper a solution from the back of your subconscious. You journal. You dream. You try to listen for what the chaos might be trying to tell you. Maybe this is the universe nudging you toward something better. Or maybe the universe is just being rude again. Hard to say.

In the meantime, you check in on others. You share what insight you can. You find comfort in one-on-one connection; people who don’t need small talk or surface-level pep talks. You crave emotional depth and something that makes all this mess feel purposeful.

But if the stress keeps building and clarity never comes? Everything starts to go haywire.

Suddenly you’re not the thoughtful mystic; you’re impulse-cleaning your entire kitchen at 2 a.m. and rage-texting your friend about how nothing matters and everything is fake. You lose your center. You get reckless. Maybe even a little mean. That’s grip stress. It hijacks your careful intuition and throws you into a sensory spiral of overdoing, overindulging, and overreacting.

If this happens, don’t panic. You’re not broken. You just need to come back to your core. Cut the noise. Go somewhere peaceful. Breathe. The clarity you’re hunting for comes when you stop trying to strangle it into submission.

You can find out more about that here: Understanding INFJ “Grip Stress”

The INTJ – Strategize

When uncertainty shows up, your brain goes into DEFCON 1.

Not that anyone would know. On the outside, you’re calm. Focused. Maybe a little cold. But inside? You’re already reverse-engineering five different futures, shutting down distractions, and mentally fire-proofing your life. You want a plan. A trajectory. A way out. You don’t need comfort, you need control.

So you turn inward. You analyze. You go full hermit-strategist. No calls. No texts. Just diagrams, research, and a hauntingly specific grocery list. You isolate because that’s how you think best—quiet, alone, with enough mental space to download the future one step at a time.

And for a while, it works.

Until it doesn’t.

If the uncertainty drags on, or the answer refuses to appear, your system short-circuits. You stop being the measured planner and start acting like a wild gremlin on a sugar crash. You binge-watch terrible TV. You buy a hundred things on Amazon you didn’t need. You snap at people. You self-sabotage. And you hate yourself for it.

That’s grip stress. It turns your brilliant, structured brain into a feral creature of indulgence and impulse.

When this hits, don’t overthink your way into oblivion. Give yourself a tiny, doable goal. Drink some water. Go outside. Let your body reset so your brain can come back online. You don’t need to fix everything today. Just start with getting your feet back under you. That’s your real strategy.

You can find out more about this here: 12 Stress-Busting Techniques for INTJs.

The ESFP – Re-Frame the Problem

You know what uncertainty needs? A playlist.

When life gets weird and wobbly, your first instinct is to reframe it. You look around, take stock of what you’ve got, and say, “Okay, we’re not totally screwed. We can work with this.” You figure out what you can do right now. You grab the duct tape, the brownie mix, the phone call to your favorite person, and you make something good enough to get through the moment.

You live in the now. You trust your gut. You focus on what’s real, not on what-ifs or worst-case scenarios. And honestly? It works. You keep spirits high, find creative solutions, and somehow manage to make people laugh even when everything’s a mess.

But if the uncertainty keeps dragging its feet and you can’t find a fun angle or a next step, you start to implode. The future feels bleak. Options disappear. Your usual optimism dries up and suddenly you’re staring into space wondering why the joy is gone and why nothing sounds fun anymore. You might isolate, get irritable, or start catastrophizing. That’s grip stress creeping in, and it makes everything feel heavier than it is.

When this happens, don’t fake joy. Find grounding. Something physical. Something creative. Make art. Move your body. Touch grass (yes, literally). You don’t have to solve everything. Just find one spark and follow it back to yourself.

[*Unless the fire’s part of a controlled backyard marshmallow situation, in which case—carry on.]

You can find out more about this here: Here’s What Each Extroverted Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Needs When They’re Stressed.

The ESTP – Find Some Control

The first rule of dealing with uncertainty? Let’s take a tip from Zombieland.

When uncertainty shows up, you tighten your shoelaces and start problem-solving before most people have finished their dramatic sighs. You’re wired for crises. Quick-thinking, practical, sharp, you scan your surroundings like a tactical AI looking for the next move. You don’t need a ten-year plan. You just need something you can do right now to move the needle.

And if that “doing” includes blasting music, lifting heavy things, or reorganizing your entire garage at 11 p.m., so be it.

But here’s the catch—uncertainty that drags on? That won’t be solved in a punchy 30-minute window? That messes with your mojo. You get restless. Impatient. Frustrated that there’s nothing clear to react to. And when the stress finally wears you down, you switch from action hero to anxious philosopher.

Suddenly you’re overthinking. You’re catastrophizing. You start fixating on dark, spiraling possibilities or mystical ideas that feel weirdly out of character. That’s grip stress, and when it hits, it flips your usual logic into a swamp of “what if” doom loops.

When that happens, it’s your brain telling you to pause. Reconnect with reality. Get out of your head and back into your body. Move. Touch something tangible. Do something small but productive. Get a hug from someone you care about. You don’t need to conquer the chaos all at once, you just need to remember who you are and connect back to the physical world in a way that grounds you.

You can find out more about this here: Here’s What Each Extroverted Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Needs When They’re Stressed.

The ISFP – Look for Hope

You handle uncertainty like a woodland creature handles a thunderstorm: retreat, find shelter, and hope no one notices.

At first, you respond with calm practicality. You notice what needs doing and get to work; feeding people, fixing small things, adding beauty where you can. You’re tougher than people give you credit for. You look for signs of hope. You find the tiny, beautiful things and hold onto them: a favorite song, the smell of rain, the memory of a moment where everything felt okay.

A little uncertainty can even feel exciting to you. Like there might be a surprise at the end of it; something that makes you grow or discover something new about yourself you never would have realized otherwise.

But if the stress doesn’t let up, something shifts. You flip from gentle soul to edgy cynic. You get snappy. Critical. You might start obsessing over what’s wrong with everything and everyone. Suddenly, you’re rewriting your to-do list three times and muttering under your breath that no one ever follows through.

That’s grip stress. It’s you, trying to reclaim control by going full efficiency robot. (Warning: that’s not your default mode, and it will drain you.)

When this happens, step back. Ground yourself in something soft, slow, sensory. Music. Art. Nature. Someone who loves you without needing a performance. You don’t have to be okay. You just have to stay kind to yourself while things are not.

You can find out more about this here: Here’s What Each Introverted Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Needs When They’re Stressed

The ISTP – Observe

This is how you’d like to deal with uncertainty:

Unfortunately, chaos doesn’t always come in the form of physical combat. Either way, you’re someone who notices everything happening around you. During periods of uncertainty, you focus on the clues you’ve collected from the world around you. Rather than hypothesize about all the bad things that could happen, you’ll focus on what you KNOW is real. What can you do with the facts? What tools can you use to fix the situation? Is the best option to just distract yourself until more information becomes available? If so, then that’s what you’ll do. You’re not going to jump the gun and react rashly or emotionally. You’re going to make sure you move forward only when you have enough facts to make a sensible decision. You deal with chaos and uncertainty better than many other types because you don’t need a secure structure to be happy. As long as you’ve got your autonomy and freedom you know you’ll find a solution.

If uncertainty or stress extends for too long, you may experience a “grip” stress reaction. When this happens, you’ll become more emotionally reactive and sensitive than usual. This is extremely frustrating to you because you’re somebody who prides yourself on being calm and unaffected. You can find out more about this here: Here’s What Each Introverted Myers-Briggs® Personality Type Needs When They’re Stressed

The ESFJ – Nurture and Organize

Uncertainty is your personal nightmare. Not because you can’t handle pressure—you can—but because you want to know what’s happening and how everyone’s holding up. You need structure, clarity, and emotional harmony like most people need carbs. So when chaos rolls in, you start managing. Fast.

You check on everyone. You clean things that don’t need cleaning. You alphabetize your spice rack. You over-prepare meals. You try to make the world feel safe by doing. Because if everyone else is calm and fed and surrounded by soft blankets and soothing smells, maybe the world isn’t actually ending.

But if the uncertainty lasts too long or people start acting like squirrels in traffic, you start to unravel. You become more critical. More tired. You second-guess yourself. You feel like no one appreciates you but also like asking for appreciation is selfish. (It’s not.) You want someone to notice you’re struggling, but you still smile and say, “I’m fine.”

That’s grip stress. It makes you feel like a failure for not fixing what was never yours to fix.

When that hits, pull back. Let someone else make the muffins. Sit still. Let your nervous system know it’s safe even if the schedule isn’t perfect. You don’t need to do more. You just need to be, and trust that that’s enough. You can find out more about this here: 10 Stress-Busting Tips for ESFJs.

The ESTJ – Set Immediate Goals

You’re someone who prides yourself on being prepared and organized. When uncertainty is on your doorstep, your first instinct is to close the door and say “Good Riddance!”

You’ll try to solve problems, organize a plan, and find answers – even if they’re just temporary quick fixes. On the outside, you seem like someone who’s got it all together. You’re productive, focused, and methodical. On the inside, you probably feel more stressed and anxious than you let on. You hate change and sudden, unexpected surprises. Uncertainty takes its toll, but you don’t typically show your anxiety to the people around you.

If stress and uncertainty are prolonged, you might experience “grip” stress. When this happens, you become more emotionally reactive and sensitive than usual. You might get lost in hopeless thoughts or feel that you’ve been abandoned and have to take care of everything yourself. You can find out more about this here: How Each MBTI® Type Reacts to Stress (and How to Help!)

The ISFJ – Nurture Yourself and Others

When dealing with uncertainty, on the outside you might seem calm, congenial, and concerned for other people. But inside, you kinda feel like clutching your teddy and hiding under the covers.

Kinda like this guy…

You like knowing what’s coming next. You have routines for a reason—they work. So when life starts glitching and nobody knows what’s happening, your first reaction is to make sure everyone else is okay. You take care of your people. You check in, you show up, you quietly carry more than your share because “someone has to.”

But inside, you just want comfort. Predictability. A plan. And when there isn’t one, your anxiety goes through the roof, but you still keep folding laundry and refilling people’s drinks like you’re not on the verge of a quiet breakdown.

Eventually, you retreat. You ghost group chats. You hide under a blanket. You reread the same familiar book for the seventh time and pray no one calls you. You want comfort, but also distance. It’s confusing.

And when grip stress hits? That soft exterior hardens. You get cynical. Pessimistic. You start thinking in worst-case scenarios and apocalyptic panics. You hate it, but it feels true in the moment.

When that happens, go gentle. Talk to one person who actually gets you. Watch a cozy show. Do one thing that makes you feel safe; not useful, just safe. You don’t always have to be the strong one. You get to fall apart, too.

You can find out more about this here: How Stress and Change Affect the Routine-Loving ISFJ Personality

The ISTJ – Chart a Plan of Action

You look on uncertainty with a calm exterior, but inside you’re more like this:

Yeah, uncertainty is something you despise with a passion. You like life calm, planned out, and organized. Chaos and disorder make you queasy and irritable. But that’s not what everyone around you will see (except maybe your significant other). You’ll make charts, diagrams, research options, and focus on mapping out a solution. You’ll shut the door and yell at anyone playing music. You need total concentration when life feels unpredictable. Until you have a solution, even if it’s just the next several steps in a plan, you’ll fixate on analyzing the problem and how to circumvent it.

If stress is extreme, you might experience a “grip” reaction. When this happens, all your brainstorming will only wreak havoc on you. You’ll only see negative possibilities and doom and gloom everywhere. You’ll feel abandoned, listless, and lost in worst-case scenarios. You can find out more about this here: How the ISTJ Reacts to Stress

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you have any suggestions for people with your personality type? Let us know in the comments!

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!