Enneagram 4 + My Daily Practices
Hello, all you cool cats and kittens. I am finally doing the thing I’ve always dreamed of doing. Having a YouTube video be in conjunction with a blog post. My intention and dream was to make videos and blog posts on the same subject. I could have done this many times, but I guess I never had something I’m as passionate about as what I’ll be sharing today.
Since maybe April of last year, I’ve seen many Enneagram posts on my Instagram feed, and I am ALL. FOR. IT. I think “personality tests” are so fun, and I love learning about people and why they act the way they do. I think a lot of information about people can be explained via their Enneagram type, Love Language and Meyers-Briggs personality type. I loved social and personality psychology at Uni, so all of this is perfect.
Today I will be sharing information about my Enneagram Type and my daily practices as this type. I will also have my YouTube video version liked for you at the end. So grab a cuppa, and let’s get right in because this post is long.
Background:
There are 9 Enneagram Types, and each type has 2 different wings. Each type and wing type has a name. I am an Enneagram 4 - The Individualist. I am a 4w3 - The Aristocrat. If I could sum up my personality into one well-known fictional character, it would be Elsa from Frozen. Elsa is a 4w3 - The Aristocrat.
Note: To find your wing, it’s the numbers on either side of your type. So if you’re an Enneagram 4, you can be a 4w3 or a 4w5. You cannot be a 4w2 or a 4w6.
Characteristics of an Enneagram 4 - The Individualist
Basic fear - To have no identity or significance.
Basic Desire - To find themselves. To be authentic.
Wings - 4w3 - “The Aristocrat” OR 4w5 - “The Bohemian”
Key motivations - To express themselves and their individuality. To create.
Strengths - (1) Ability to connect deeply with their own emotions. (2) Sensitivity to and understanding of others’ feelings. (3) General awareness of their own growth areas. (4) Imaginative and creative deep-thinking. (5) Being consistently and authentically themselves.
Weaknesses - (1) Withdrawing in times of difficulty. (2) Fixating on what they don’t have. (3). Tendency to focus too much on themselves (4). Reacting strongly and emotionally to hardship.
Good careers - Anything artistic such as an actor, writer, artist, photographer, designer or dance teacher.
Yelena’s notes -
I hate people telling me how to act and what to do. I don’t like it when people try to fit me in a standard box or get me to tone down my individuality. When people tell me how to act, they are telling me how they would act as themselves in my situation. But they are not in my case and not me, so how could they possibly know who I am or how I should act? I am who I am, and if I act the way other people tell me to, I am not being my authentic self.
I aspire to inspire. In sharing all the parts of my life that I do, my hope is that someone who used to be like me: young, scared and insecure, will come across my IG, blog or YT channel and see a girl who is strong, confident and driven to achieve all that she wants. I want to inspire those people to work hard and achieve their dreams. I want to inspire people the way Caitlin Kinnunen inspired me.
I am also very much the Empath, so seeing people hurting in movies/TV shows really affects me (one of the reasons why I stick to comedies and tamer shows). I am also a hardcore INFJ (as I’m learning that lots of my Enneagram 4 friends are also INFJs).
My daily practices as an Enneagram 4
Morning Routine
Establishing a routine is the best thing for Enneagram 4’s. I like my structure, so doing the same thing every morning is always nice. Every morning I go downstairs to make my tea/coffee, I do my skincare routine, and then I do my light therapy while I do my makeup (something I do daily even if I’m staying home. I feel most confident when I wear makeup). I also plan out my To-do list for the day and answer the daily prompt in my Soul Therapy journal. I also always make my bed. While I’m doing all this, I’ll either have my Morning Motivation playlist on, or I’ll be watching a YouTube video.
Stop comparing myself
One of Enneagram 4’s big weaknesses is comparing themselves to other people, and let me tell you...I do this ALL. THE. TIME. I think a lot of the insecurities I felt when I was younger, especially when I was 20 and 21, was because I was comparing myself to others. When I didn’t get cast in shows, I would think “Am I not good enough?” “Am I not pretty enough?” “Am I not talented enough?” And I know now that I am good enough, pretty enough and talented enough - those roles were meant for me. And I have to be okay with that.
One trick I’ve learned to help me stop comparing myself is I’ve covered my mirrors and anything reflective in my room. I have a white tablecloth over my full-length mirror, a pillowcase over my wall mirror and a covering over my TV. Not seeing my reflection, I don’t compare my looks to anyone else. When I think of myself, I think of myself with my image of myself. Someone pretty, confident and intelligent. Those are all the things I wanted to be, and in thinking I am those things, I’ve become them (fake it till ya make it).
Creativity
Enneagram 4’s need to be creative. Performing is how I’ve always been creative, and I obviously can’t perform right now. So I get my creative juices flowing by working on my blog and YT channel. I love making videos, writing out my talking points notes, creating my outfit, doing my hair and makeup etc.
I also really love performing musicals in my room. When I have a musical playing, sometimes I pretend I’m in a show of said musical. I act out the song, imagine my scene partner etc. It’s a lot of fun and helps me release all pent-up emotions.
Don’t live in my emotions
I used to be the girl who would unpack, move in and redecorate when she felt a dark emotion. But as I grew, I realised how unproductive and awful it feels to live in your dark emotions. It’s totally okay to stay there for a visit but don’t move in and make a life there. I acknowledge my dark feelings; ask myself why I feel that way, what I can do to change it, and what I need to help me work through it. When I want to resort to a not-so-good coping mechanism, I turn on my Gloomy Sunday playlist, sing, cry, and then go to sleep (because usually, this happens right before bed). I’m generally back to my happy, optimistic self by morning.
Night Routine
Like morning routines, having a night routine is also really important. My night routine starts with my skincare routine again. I do facials biweekly (Wednesdays and Sundays). I also like having dinner while watching a film or TV show. I am currently rewatching Avatar The Last Airbender. The more I watch it, the more I love Zuko and Azula (I could do another post on them). I also like to stretch when I feel the need to do it. About an hour before bed, I try to put my phone away and read a book. I am currency reading “In Some Other Life” by Jessica Brody. Before I turn off the lights, I tell my Google Assistant to play my Deep Sleep playlist. I take my night meds and vitamins, choose an audiobook and turn on my Sleep Cycle alarm.
And that concludes my post on bring an Enneagram 4 and my daily practices as that type. I hope you all enjoyed this post. If you did, don’t forget to give it a like, share it with any of your Enneagram 4 friends and leave me a comment telling me what your Enneagram type is and what is one thing you do every day. As always, sending you all the light and love in this world. See you next week!
