Christina S. Wilcox - Take Care of Your Type: An Enneagram Guide to Self-Care

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Copyright 2020 by Christina S. Wilcox

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First Tiller Press hardcover edition December 2020

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Interior design by Jennifer Chung

Cover design by Patrick Sullivan

Star and moon by Christina S. Wilcox

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wilcox, Christina S, author.

Title: Take care of your type : an enneagram guide to self-care / Christina S. Wilcox.

Description: New York : Tiller Press, [2020] | Identifiers: LCCN 2020026537 (print) | LCCN 2020026538 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982157944 (hardcover) |ISBN 9781982157968 (ebook) | Subjects: LCSH: Enneagram. | Classification: LCC BF698.35.E54 W54 2020 (print) | LCC BF698.35.E54 (ebook) | DDC 155.2/6dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020026537

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020026538

ISBN 978-1-9821-5794-4

ISBN 978-1-9821-5796-8 (ebook)

FOR THOSE LONGING TO GROW AND SHOW COMPASSION TOWARD THEMSELVES

Hello, my friends and friends I havent met yet! First off, I want to thank you for picking up this book. I wrote it with high hopes and big prayers that it would change the way you view your self-worth, and that it would also give you practical advice and tools for taking care of who you are given your personality.

All of the self-care advice in this book is based on the nine types of the Enneagram personality system. In case youre unfamiliar with the Enneagram, though I cant imagine its brand-new to you if youre reading this book, here is a brief overview of what it entails and how it can be used to inform better self-care practices for your specific personality type.

Over the past few years, the Enneagram has taken the internet by storm. People want to understand themselves on a deeper level, so they go online, take a quick Enneagram assessment, discover their type, and then dive into the endless amounts of information and creative memes related to it. Although there is nothing wrong with doing this, many people dont know that the Enneagram is actually a sacred, centuries-old system. Some say it was invented in the year 1915, but it is also theorized to have been developed by monks centuries earlier. The Enneagram was originally used for intense, purposeful self-reflection and was taught under the guidance of a mentor with the intention of healing a persons emotional wounds from as far back as childhood. As it has become westernized, it has lost a lot of its original depth, and though the intention of this book is not to provide an exhaustive history and education of the Enneagram, I did want to touch on that briefly so you can better understand how I view the concept of self-care through its lens.

Before you can really begin using and benefiting from this book, you will need to know these three things:

Type 1: The Idealist

Type 2: The Helper

Type 3: The Achiever

Type 4: The Individualist

Type 5: The Observer

Type 6: The Loyalist

Type 7: The Enthusiast

Type 8: The Challenger

Type 9: The Peacemaker

What determines your Enneagram type are the core desires, fears, and motivations that bring up the most emotion for you as you read them. Through reading the chapters of this book, which are each prefaced with a particular types core traits, you will become intimately acquainted with all nine Enneagram types and discover which one is yours.

Imagine a bird: it has two wings that it usesone on its left, the other on its right. Either the left or right can be stronger or used more frequently than the other, and we would call that the dominant wing of the bird. The same is true of Enneagram types. Once you determine your type, you may discover you have a dominant wing as well. Whatever wing you have will only be directly to the left or directly to the right of your core type, numerically. Here are all the potential wing combinations in the Enneagram:

1W2, 1W9

2W1, 2W3

3W2, 3W4

4W3, 4W5

5W4, 5W6

6W5, 6W7

7W6, 7W8

8W7, 8W9

9W8, 9W1

If you are a 2W1, for example, your core type is Type 2, or The Helper. But you may find yourself heavily relating to the qualities and behavioral patterns of a Type 1, or Idealist, as well, which would give you a 1 wing.

Although you may already know your Enneagram type and want to flip directly to that chapter, I encourage you to read this book from the beginningbecause at the end of every chapter, I list several important ways you can love and support someone with that specific Enneagram type on their self-care journey. Doing this may allow you to better understand the people you have had, will have, and currently have in your life. So please read through every chapter, take notes, and learn as much as you can about the personalities that surround you in life. Discovering another persons Enneagram type can be just as insightful and life-changing as discovering your own.

Now I want to define the kind of self-care I discuss in this book because it may be different from what youre envisioning. The type of self-care that I have chosen to focus on in these pages does not only revolve around practical, fun ways to stay healthy and take care of your physical self. Yes, I believe in the power of a relaxing bath, rejuvenating face mask, or brisk walk, and I have experienced the power of what a long hot shower, a delicious homemade dessert, and a great conversation with a friend can do for the soul. But as I have further immersed myself in my journey of self-discovery, I have found that self-care involves so much more than just looking after your physical body. In fact, the pursuit of physical self-care alone is rather shallow, in my opinion. Because no matter how hard you work to change and refresh whats only visible on the outside, your inner struggles will still be there.

Oftentimes, we expect these physical-driven self-care practices to transform something within us. There is absolutely nothing wrong with glowing up, losing weight, or focusing on taking care of your body in a healthy way, but that on its own wont bring you happiness and peace of mind. Its important to understand that self-care is not just about looking good; its about feeling whole. Its about healing the things that haunt us at night, so that we can not only go on to be our best selves but also be equipped with the tools to help us effectively deal with hurt or harm as we encounter it in the future.