Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Still Don't Fit In (Gifted Adults)

I hope this is okay to post here. I feel like this is a group that can understand where I'm coming from. I was a gifted child. It feels weird saying "I'm a gifted adult", but I guess that's true as well. For many years, I feel like I kind of shut part of myself down. But, since having my daughter I feel like I've been re-discovering myself as well. In turn, I often feel even more isolated from my friends. I feel like there are only limited topics we can discuss, because they just don't understand, or I'm afraid they will misunderstand me. People also don't understand my perfectionist based personality traits either, and often say things I find insulting (although, I try not to) because they are being dismissive of my feelings.

So, not only do I feel guarded when talking about my daughter's giftedness... but my own. I am thirty years old, and yet sometimes I just feel like an awkward, bumbling teenager.

My other problem is that sometimes I just suffer from serious depression because I feel like my brain is wasted. I am a small business owner, and a mother and a homemaker. I feel like I am not making a real contribution to society or the betterment of mankind. Sometimes I get a bit lost down my own rabbit hole.

I want to set a healthy, strong example for my daughter (and my son, gifted or not, he's too young to tell). I want to ENCOURAGE her to be the best her that she can be without pressuring her, but I don't want her to feel like she missed out on opportunities like I did.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my rambles!

This is a good place. There are a lot of us here like that, and we understand.

Another great place, though far larger, is wrongplanet.net. It's a community for autism, but also anything "non-neurotypical", and I think you would find many understanding and interesting people there, as well. I find it soothing to see how many people there are who are weird in the ways that I am.

Think of it as having a different role in society. We cannot be something other than we are, but our role is great, too. Definitely follow your instinct that you truly want to change work directions; that is what I would do. The good news is that it is easier than ever to stay mentally active because of the internet, so start there and figure out what you want to do next. That is a great thing about increased human longevity. You can do many things in one lifetime.