(this one’s for the “gifted” kids who grew up feeling empty)
As a child, being smart was your superpower.
You were told you’d go far. That you were ahead of the curve. That life would be easier for you.
And for a while, it was.
But something changed.
Now you feel stuck. Disconnected. Maybe even numb.
You can’t explain why — because everything looks fine on the outside. But inside?
It’s like life is happening to everyone else.
And here’s the painful truth:
Smart kids often build their entire identity around being smart.
Which means… the one thing that made you feel special back then?
Is now the exact thing keeping you trapped.
—
You start avoiding anything that feels difficult. Because deep down?
If “smart” = “things come easy”…
Then struggle must mean you’re not smart anymore.
So you don’t raise your hand.
You don’t try new things.
You don’t let yourself fail.
Instead, you protect the image.
And while everyone else is growing, you’re shrinking into your comfort zone.
—
Eventually, you start feeling alone.
You can navigate conversations. You might even seem charismatic.
But underneath? You’re exhausted.
Because you’re not relating to people. You’re analyzing them.
You’re not connecting. You’re calculating.
And socializing becomes another thing you need to be “good at” — so you start avoiding that too.
—
And when the loneliness hits too hard?
You tell yourself:
“I’m just different.”
“They don’t get me.”
Not because you believe it.
But because it hurts less than saying you feel left out.
This isn’t arrogance.
It’s a defense mechanism.
One that slowly walls you off from the very thing you crave — connection.
—
So what’s the fix?
You stop identifying as “the smart one.”
Not because intelligence is bad.
But because your value should never depend on effortless success.
Instead, you build your identity around growth.
You show up to learn.
You show up to struggle.
You show up to participate — not to win.
And yeah, it’s awkward.
It’s humbling.
It’s unfamiliar.
But it’s the first real step toward feeling whole again.
—
Because you don’t need to be the smartest person in the room to belong in it.
You just need to be human.
And humans?
Are allowed to fail.
To be messy.
To feel lost sometimes.
But we grow anyway.
—
If any of this hit home…
Leave a comment and share what stood out.
Chances are — you’re not the only one feeling this way.
And sometimes, naming the pattern is the first step to breaking it.
Repost to help someone else feel seen.
P.S. You are enough. Even when it’s hard to believe it. 