That’s not sustainable.īut this isn’t an experience unique to former gifted kids-it’s a reflection of an education system that values results over wellness, and prioritizes grades over learning. Learning in an environment where perfectionism and high achievement is praised above everything else, you start to form your sense of identity around doing well all the time.

I do think some of this can be related back to my early education in a gifted program.

I’ve been at points when I can’t motivate myself to keep up with classwork because the work I’m completing isn’t perfect, and other times I’m keeping myself so busy I don’t have time to sleep. I know I struggle to set realistic and healthy expectations for myself, and that can manifest in a cycle of overworking myself and burning out.

I feel the same pressure to compete against my peers here at Queen’s as I did in my fourth-grade class. The impact of perfectionism on mental health articulated in these ‘gifted kid burnout’ posts isn’t something that’s exclusive to students who grew up in gifted programs-it’s, unfortunately, common among many students. Gifted programs also feed into a damaging culture of academic competition that extends well beyond any specific program or class. In terms of making these programs effective and accessible, there’s a lot of work that must be done. For students who are not referred, the cost of soliciting the necessary testing from a child psychologist to enter the program can present a financial barrier for their families. Research has shown that low-income children, girls, and students of colour are systematically under-referred to gifted programs. There are frequently a disproportionate number of neurodiverse students in gifted classes, and these programs too often lack the resources to cater to the needs of these students one-on-one. Undoubtedly, gifted programs as they currently exist in our public education are flawed. While a lot of the ‘gifted kid burnout’ content is approached with a sense of humour, the serious undertones to this conversation suggest that something could be seriously wrong. I too have experienced academic and personal burnout, crushing self-doubt, and anxiety about underperforming in my achievements. These are common themes among ‘gifted kid burnout’ posts, as well as feelings of constantly underachieving, difficulty sleeping, and issues with time management and procrastination.Īs someone who grew up attending school in a gifted program until high school, I found the accuracy of the posts uncanny. Gifted students face social-emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, and harmful perfectionism. Whether it’s someone my age filming themselves lying in bed all day to the popular “I can’t talk right now, I’m doing sad gifted kid burnout shit” audio or a tweet expressing someone’s frustration with their inability to stick with new hobbies they’re not immediately good at, people have a lot to say about the lasting effects of early gifted education-and none of it is good. My social media feeds have been flooded with posts lamenting the negative impact former ‘gifted kids’ feel the label has had on their wellbeing. The concept of ‘gifted kid burnout’ has been around on the internet for a while, but it’s recently found a second wind on TikTok.

Gifted kid burnout playlist