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What Do Gifted Teens Say About Their Struggles?
The gifted adolescents that I have known grapple with existential depression, anxiety, loneliness, perfectionism, sensitivities, empathy, misdiagnoses, bullying, and serious frustrations with the school system. Here is “one” teen’s voice synthesized from the many that I have met over the years. All people will benefit when we take the time to understand our gifted children.…
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Self-Help for the Super Smart, Persnickety Perfectionist
I know you. You are a deep thinker. Introspective. You seek growth, healing, and self-actualization. It is important for you to live a meaningful life and to contribute something to make the world better. You have strong perfectionist tendencies. Some might say you are persnickety or, on a bad day, well, impatient, demanding, and a…
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Gifted Children and Adults — Why Are They So Misunderstood?
A gifted child is: The four year old who says the car is not red, it’s crimson. The five-year-old who is lonely because the other kids don’t understand the complex worlds and creatures she invents. The six-year-old who explains the difference between a laceration and a contusion. The seven-year-old who chooses Rembrandt as the person…
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Some of My Best Friends Are Introverted, Sensitive, Introspective, Smart, Empathetic, Overthinking Perfectionists
Have I told you that I love people who are all of these things? Introverted, highly sensitive, introspective, super smart, and empathetic? I also love “overthinking” perfectionists who obsess about creating a better world through raising the consciousness of humans, healing the dysfunction in their families and communities, parenting compassionate children, or finding loving-kindness in…
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Giftedness, Multipotentiality, and Your Fear of Losing Interest (FOLI)
You’ve heard of FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out. It’s a thing. Well, if you have multipotentiality. Which you know you do. You may suffer from FOLI. Fear Of Losing Interest. What is FOLI? First, you have to understand multipotentiality. Does this describe you? You have soooo many interests. Since you were a little tyke, you’ve…
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When Perfectionism, Anxiety, and Giftedness Go To College
Ellen was a fast talking, deep feeling, super insightful 20 year old. She’d been a high achiever throughout her public school years. The work was easy. She could listen to one teacher while she did her homework for another. She was conscientious and energetic. Curious and imaginative. She was also anxious. Her active rainforest mind…
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A Gifted Kid’s Conundrum — Part Two — Anxiety and Perfectionism
You may have read about Ben. He’s the gifted teen who said “I have to know it before I learn it.” He learned to read early. No one taught him. Learning was easy. He knew what they were teaching in school before they taught it. He came to believe that all learning happened this way.…
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What Does Gifted Look Like in My World?
The controversy is intense. How do we explain giftedness? Is it high achievement? Talent? Productivity? Eminence? IQ? Financial success? 4.0 grade point average? 10,000 hours of practice? Nooooooooo. I shriek. Politely. I mean, it might include any of those things. Sure. But it doesn’t have to. Instead. Here is my explanation. Totally anecdotal. If you…
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I Have to Know it Before I Learn It — A Gifted Kid’s Conundrum
My 16-year-old client, I’ll call him Ben, was struggling in school. No one thought he was gifted. His grades were average. He didn’t turn in many assignments. He didn’t get high test scores. He was so anxious, he’d miss many days of school. His parents were confused. They knew he was capable of completing the…
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