[BBB2]

I do feel stupid. And I can't find any useful advice online.

Lots of people post “I'm stupid” on different forums, but they only seem to get three different kinds of response:

1. I can understand what you read, so you can't be stupid.
2. There are different kinds of intelligence, so stop worrying.
3. Stupid people don't question their intelligence, but you do, so stop worrying.

None of those responses are helpful or insightful. In fact, the last time I googled “I'm an idiot” I was sent to a blog aimed at gifted people!

Okay, so maybe I am clever/average in some ways (no idea in what ways), but not in the right ways, the ways which could help me be independent and happy in life. I'm stupid in all the wrong ways, ways which aren't useful to society.

1. I had to work really hard to scrape average grades at school. I felt overworked.
2. I am a slow learner and barely retain anything. I forgotten almost everything I learnt at school.
3. I am not a logical thinker and a terrible problem solver. I can only do Easy Sudoku, given enough time, but not Medium
4. I make mistakes all the time, easily confused
5. I'm not creative or practical. I can't come up with new ideas and am clumsy
6. I'm always behind my peers and always have been. I'm not inmmature in the sense that I drink and throw tanturms, but I'm not interested in romantic relationships and still depend on my parents a lot. I still like things for children, I prefer children's books, kid's colouring books, puzzles
7. People treat me differently from others.
8. I volunteer at a school and struggle to keep up with the 8 year olds.

So, why are these things a problem?

Because I'm scared! I might never find a good job. I'm stuck in a horrible part time job and might be stuck there for the rest of my life. Grrr! It's hard to explain, but there's a childishness in me, a barrier in my mind. I first began to sense this barrier when I was in Year 5, but I began to feel that there was something a little off about me, parts of my brain blocked off.

I hope some of you understand what I am trying to say. Society needs us to be clever in specific ways and I'm not. I know that I'm average intelligent, but stupid in ways which makes life difficult and there seems to be no advice online.

Thanks and sorry for rant, but this really gets me down

Sorry that it gets you down. Honestly I can feel like that myself. There are many things that are needed in life, not just clever people. You may feel you need to be more than what you are because of what "society" expects, or you don't want to live a simple life. If I could go back in time, I'd learn to be happy working even the most menial underpaid jobs. I hope you get more replies. I like to recommend listening to Eckhart Tolle on youtube, I feel his view about life is simple and calming.

[MickeyCheeky]

I can relate to almost anything you wrote (although I think I'm stupid in almost every single way, while I think you're really smart in other areas). I'm sorry about your struggle

Not using intelligence in ways that serve you best doesn't mean you are stupid. You just have to learn how to use your intelligence efficiently to progress in life. I share many points you listed, by the way.

[Gus1234U]

i was poisoned in '90 and suffered severe brain damage. i lost almost all abilities excect my ability to talk, which saved my bacon numerous times.

i have regained over 75 IQ points, tho not evenly over all areas, by endless practice and the use of a sound therapy that helps the brain make new connections. it is called Binaural Beat , and uses stereo sound to stimulate the brain. perhaps it will help you. it is not a quick-fix, i used it for 7 years every day, twice a day. you can find the therapeutic tracks at CenterPointe.com, or you can just search for sound tracks online (to see if you like it).

the brain is a very plastic (changeble) thing, and it's never too late to help it along. i wish you the very best in adding to your brain functions, and learning to operate with what you have~

I should also add something:

Just because you have trouble concentrating in school or memorizing study materials doesn't make you stupid.

It is more common than you think for people with high IQs to do poorly in certain subjects in school because they are either bored by them or don't consider a point to studying them because they won't actually use them in the real world. Take my personality type as an example: INTJ; the rarest personality type out of the 16 Meyers Briggs personality types and the most knowledge seeking one as well with many INTJ people having IQs over 120, yet if you go to an INTJ forum, you will find that many of them made average grades in certain subjects because they found the study material boring or didn't see the point of knowing it and would rather devote their time to learning things that interests or benefits them.

I think that an issue with higher education in general is that they want people to study so many things that serve no real point outside of a few career paths. Take advanced math for instance; math above high school algebra is not used at all in the real world UNLESS you are choosing a career path that requires it such as becoming a computer programmer, a mathematician, or a physicist for instance; if you aren't doing any of those careers than there is absolutely nothing wrong with not being good at math. The same can be said for certain parts of history or science although I won't get into too much detail and what subjects are needed where as this isn't the point of this thread.

So just because you aren't good at learning certain things doesn't mean that you are stupid or inadequate by any means; there is likely something that you are good at somewhere such as art or music or even helping people for instance that you could be well above average in, therefore, you should seek to learn more about yourself rather than what people tell you and operate to your strengths and you should be fine

[BBB2]

Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful replies.
Take care everyone

I wouldn't put so much energy into putting yourself down.

Academia may not be your forte but how are you at practical things? I could never be much of a do-it-yourselfer. My issue has been poor memory work. I remember nothing I have learned much further beyond taking the test for it. I can problem solve but I can't figure out how to operate a phone or tablet without a great deal of help. I need to read directions very slowly and multiple times. Unless the work is menial and repetitive, I can find it difficult to deal with.

My suggestion is to figure out what you are interested in. I'm pretty sure that may be an area you show some improvement in.