Out of all the personality type theories, the classic Type A/Type B personality dichotomy is by far the simplest. You’re either an aggressively competitive go-getter or someone who loves to stop and smell the roses.
Unfortunately for Type B personalities, it can be quite difficult to thrive in a world that values Type A’s productivity and never-ending rush to the next big challenge. In order to gain validation, Type Bs must often put up a Type A front and prove that they can be competitive, too. However, they often struggle with the pressure to achieve because they’re highly reflective and don’t see the purpose of setting bigger and better goals all the time.
If you’re a Type B person, here are 15 relatable feelings that you experience when you spend too much time pretending to be Type A:
1. When you take it easy, you think you’re being lazy.
Seriously, there’s nothing worse than guilt-tripping yourself into adding more to your plate. Still, no matter how much you just want to chill and just be who you are, you feel like you can never fully relax.
2. No matter what you do, you don’t think you’ll be the best at anything.
But deep down, you know that you honestly don’t care.
3. You have big dreams, but most of them are wrong for you.
Failing at your dreams makes you feel insufficient, and your constant desire to chase after bigger dreams makes you feel unfulfilled. You secretly wish that you could scale back your ambitions, despite how unimpressive that might seem to others who have done more.
4. You make more mistakes when you have to prove yourself.
You know that you have nothing to prove, and you don’t see the point of overworking yourself simply to redeem your own value. There’s no need to change how others perceive your work ethic (or lack thereof).
5. You feel like you’re stuck in a big mess.
And you secretly think that your life would be so much more Zen if you didn’t get caught up in complexities of the Type A world.
6. You constantly tell yourself to relax.
Somewhere along the way, you lost your ability to lose yourself in the moment. But once you find it again, you dread returning to your double life.
7. You sometimes feel ashamed of wanting less.
Even when you’re happiest with a slow, simple life.
8. It’s exhausting to keep up with everyone else.
You think that the rush to push yourself past everyone else is overrated. After all, you know that in the grand scheme of things, achieving more doesn’t matter in the end.
9. No matter what you do, you can’t force yourself to wake up at 5 a.m.
Because you’re always pulling all-nighters. But you can’t help it if your real creative energy spikes at 3 a.m.
10. You feel conflicted about what you should expect from yourself.
But at the same time, you often feel satisfied with your performance and see no point in demanding that you fulfill a Type A person’s expectations.
11. You feel apathetic about pursuing more.
When really, you could care less about going for the gold in too many areas and would rather focus on fewer things that mean a whole lot more to you.
12. You don’t like how long it takes for you to finish things.
But you know you can’t change your meticulous nature. If you’re being honest, you don’t mind it because you know that being slow and deliberate yields better results.
13. You don’t understand the stigma against the word “maybe.”
You like to slow down, explore who you are, and not instantly attach yourself to a strict plan. A “Yes” or “No” is too limiting for you.
14. Balance means something totally different to you, and it’s not easy to explain.
Your idea of balance involves plenty of sitting back and relaxing with not much else in between.
15. You get pretty defensive of your “go with the flow” attitude.
Because it’s precious, and it’s kept you safe from the crash-and-burn lifestyle.
Being a Type B person in a Type A world may present many challenges, and you might struggle with frequent existential crises. But you’re chill enough to truly see the beautiful parts of life that others might overlook. Don’t be afraid to slow down and show the world that being laid-back isn’t the same as being lazy. All in all, you’ve got this.
Feature image by Brooke Cagle via Unsplash.
