I'm currently getting tested for giftedness, and it is extremely likely that I do have it. I didn't do it earlier because my therapist still had to get the materials, so I spent the summer waiting.

During an hang out at the beach with my 2 childhood best friends, one of them joked around saying "Oh it's my ADHD" or something of that sort. It kinda put me off, but she followed it by saying she actually thought she had it, and that she was trying to convince her parents to get tested for it. We engaged in conversation about that, she talked about her symptoms and we agreed and asked questions.

Once the conversation was over, I told them «That's cool, I'm probably also getting tested for Giftedness». I felt them staring at me and slightly nodding, so I asked them if they were familiar with the term and they said yeah yet again. The atmosphere became REALLL awkward, as we were all silent. I tried to start something, but since I'm not big on talking I stumbled on my words and ended up apologizing (yes... I know...) for saying that.

Long story short, I haven't told anyone from that moment on. Why is it that ADHD or Autism are seen as just burdens and mental issues and Giftedness is just Einstein level genius to their eyes? It made me feel like an attention seeker, like I was bragging and almost implicitly insulting another neurodivergence. They're called that because neurodivergent people's brains are simply built differently, not because they're better or worse.

I was at a family lunch a couple weeks ago, and my mum mentioned the test I had to do (she's very outspoken...). The way she described it sounded ridiculous: a condition for kids with an higher IQ than the norm, which is technically correct, but then she started bringing up my achievements, skills, grades and everything. I had to jump in and say something bad like "It negatively affects your social relationships and emotional sphere" just so it wouldn't sound like heaven to have.

When people want to talk to me about studying or learning, especially when they're trying to compare themselves to me, I usually tell them right away that I'm not a good benchmark. People are often taken aback by the number of practice questions I can do in a single day, by the way I learn, or when I tell them that I rarely forget something I've learned, especially complex ideas that fit together and form a bigger picture.

I'm currently studying for a competitive civil service exam in a study room, and I feel a little left out when the other students gather to talk about their studies. Most of them use AI to explain basic concepts, or they feel incredibly productive when they ask AI to summarize a 200-page PDF into 10 pages or do 50 practice questions a day.

I usually read several of those PDFs in their entirety, study the actual legal texts, and still manage to do around 200 practice questions a day. On top of that, I'm pursuing an undergraduate degree and two postgraduate degrees, and I also keep up with a weekly political magazine. Balancing all of this alongside my exam preparation is simply part of my routine.

When people ask me about my routine, I never quite know how to answer without sounding arrogant, so I avoid telling them everything I do and usually add a little self-deprecating remark, like, "Maybe there's something a little off about my brain!"

Deep down, though, I find myself thinking that these people will never pass a competitive exam if they keep studying in such a superficial way.

I am not talking about social wise and how it feels to be around with average people but how exactly does your brain work? What kind of things does your mental image look like?

First of all, hello. I’ve never taken any IQ test or been officially assessed, I'm just posting this here because the way my mind works seemed similar to what's discussed here.

I’ve always known I was somewhat different and sharper than the norm, but lately, the mental load has gotten really heavy. Ever since I turned 18, I feel like I've become much more aware of my own thoughts from the outside. I’ve always been someone who thinks a lot and has an inner monologue, but the level of it has definitely increased.

In my thought process, there are always 3 separate streams going on:

One of them is constantly and only occupied with monitoring what I do and think in real-time.

The other two allow me to do a task while at the same time thinking about different or related things.

The only time this changes is when I get extremely focused on something—then I can lock onto just one thing, and my streams drop down to 2.

How does this thinking process normally work for people, and is this even normal? Even when I'm not doing much physically, my mind stays wide open, constantly thinking about random things and breaking them down, so by the evenings I'm completely burned out and it's exhausting. If anyone else experiences this, what methods do they use to not wear themselves out so much?

As a side note, the things I think about aren't anxiety or worry loops; it's purely about how things are structured.

What’s on your holiday wish list?? Need some ideas.

My mom & I are gifted adults. She taught Gifted & Talented (aka Accelerated Ed, etc) for 30 years for middle schoolers and had the best time.

She likes puzzles but has solved all of them. Written, physical, variety of shapes, sudoku, etc. All the puzzles. I’ve made her custom puzzles before which she loves but then doesn’t want to redo it.

Other things she loves: fiction books that surprise her. She can guess the end of most books no matter what the twist. Not a ton of blood & gore, and no child abuse. She likes YA novels too. She loves art that plays with beauty, trees, and light.

I am more outgoing. I like experiences. I do cooking classes, comedy shows, book clubs. I used to help my mom write the murder mysteries for her classes where everyone role plays a character. Creative writing and play writing is fun for me. I’ve had a birthday where I did a play reading of a new play I wrote. I had a backyard birthday musical improv show - super fun. I lead trainings, and wrote curriculum around developing self awareness and becoming aware of internal biases. I’ve spoken at an international association conference before.

What do I want for the holidays (other than coffee gift cards)? What would YOU like to get that would make you feel seen?

(M22)Firstly, for an extremely long time i genuinely never believed anybody growing up telling me 24/7 I’m smart and i was put in the g&t program before 1st grade. The glaze even started before I was even conscious, my test to get into pre-k was allegedly exceptionally high, the proctor screamed when I finished (according to my mother at least).

But now after a relatively recent OCD diagnosis and a pending audhd diagnosis (pretty confident it’s one of the two), I am for better or for worse more “aware” of my intelligence.

Anyways, my whole life I’ve been told I “sound/talk smart” and I’m aware plentyyy people get told this but for me it’s a little different, I have a clinically diagnosed stutter, it’s not awful but definitely present. On top of what I assume is already my unusual speech pattern at times, I also speak in certain ways sometimes because of my stutter. However, when I’m relaxed most times, I sound like your average 20 something Gen z just with a stutter.

Despite even being in my most relaxed states at times (drunk at a frat), random people I just met STILL immediately have to tell me they think I’m smart 😭. wtf is up with that?

EDIT: I will add that I’m now aware I’m extremely funny (as people also tell me even having just met). And I know that funny people tend to be smart, so that could be it. My vocabulary is decent, I admittedly don’t read, at all, but I can do a little razzle dazzle and pull out an AP English word

When looking at someone's face, there's sometimes a certain mood or smell invoked in my brain that gets translated into a phase of life I've experienced before, and it's as if I can smell their whole personality and life right now. I can also imagine vivid memories of that person.

So when I walk around in the mall, all by myself, and feel a silent peace in my head, I look at people and think, "Oh yes, I remember when I used to be like that". Smells like these don't smell like 'something'; they are distinct in their own right. I call it "empathy" because I feel so deeply in the person's life.

For instance, I was playing on a public piano, and some very oddly well-dressed man came along and played something I could never imagine playing myself. His whole vibe was a bit ancient, green, and very forest-ish. The tone he spoke in was confident but quiet. At that moment, a certain unique smell overwhelmed me, and his whole life flashed in front of my eyes (which may be taken figuratively since I didn't actually have a mini-story in my head of him, although I'm not sure how else to put it).

I'm sharing this because it may or may not be related to giftedness, and I hope to find someone who can relate. I've talked about this to others, and some believe it's "personality-smell synesthesia", but I don't experience it in the same way a lot of people describe their experience with it.

Gifted people, thanks to their intellectual OEs, are willing to seek the truth at all costs, which is why they gravitate physically to big question-topics like philosophy and thermodynamics. Couple that with an imaginational and psychomotor OE (which can be mistaken for psychosis or mania), such an experience can feel almost mystical.

Now couple all that with early parental death, where you look death in the eye after watching your parent(s) turn blue. Have you ever wondered why the most prominent thermodynamicists, such as Gibbs or Lord Kelvin, have lost a parent in childhood? It's because they have EPD eyes that see the world sharper than the average person.

I'm lucky to be able to see a much more vivid level of reality; imma go solve thermodynamics now.

Context, again, in case anyone wants it: I'm AuDHD and bipolar, with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. I'm currently taking 18mg Concerta, 10mg Lexapro, and 1.5mg Rexulti, though I've been offered sulpiride for my psychosis and mania.

Someone else mentioned the Positive Disintegration podcast, and I became inspired by Chris Wells after listening to their experience weaning off meds and achieving a higher level of PD. How safe would it be for me to wean off meds, and what are the signs that I shouldn't?

It's weird when you suddenly realize you taught yourself something that most people assume you must have been taught. I'm slowly realizing that I learned English almost entirely on my own.

Growing up in India, I remember learning basic English by the age of 9. The interesting part is that nobody around me spoke English, and nobody actually taught me the language. I started watching English content on YouTube only after I had already learned it.

Looking back, I find it pretty fascinating that I managed to pick it up on my own. I never really thought much about it until recently, but now I wonder how I learned so much without anyone guiding me.