Identification for gifted education, plays into a fixed mindset – using the terminology coined by psychologist Carol Dweck. However, one of the problems specific to gifted kids is the label ‘gifted and talented,‘ which is assigned to kids in public schools at a young age. Rote work, transactional disciplinary systems, and grading that rewards memorization over mastery are all part of traditional school environments that might make a child feel disempowered and, ultimately lead to burnout. Caught in a perpetual fight-or-flight, we feel listless, jumpy and distracted, unable to dedicate our energy to complex or rewarding tasks.įor gifted kids - usually highly attuned to the world around them - those stressors often come from their educational environment when, as the Davidson institute explains, it doesn’t align with their values. When stressors pile on and eat into downtime, our body loses its ability to bounce back. It’s part of our evolutionary design to react with hormones at the first sign of a threat – but once the danger has passed, we need downtime to recover, or those helpful hormones can accumulate at unhealthy levels. Stress is a normal physiological response. Since many of the symptoms of burnout overlap with other medical conditions, including anxiety, depression and adhd, you’ll want to consult your physician who may refer your child to additional specialists or testing. If you’re seeing these symptoms, you’ll want to have conversations with your child as well as the adults in their life, whether that includes trusted teachers, a therapist or coaches. There’s no standard test that shows if your high-achieving kid is burnt out. Expressions of hopelessness and overwhelm.Inability to complete tasks or assignments.Loss of interest in the activities they once enjoyed.Headaches, stomach aches or other physical issues.While other forms of burnout might be tied to the workplace, or the emotional labor involved in care-taker roles, gifted child burnout is often tied to an educational system that the child finds repetitive, unrewarding, without autonomy, unfair, or not aligned with their values.Ī gifted student experiencing burnout might demonstrate the following physical and emotional symptoms: So, what is gifted kid burnout and what are the symptoms?Īccording to the Davidson Institute, The definition of gifted child burnout is chronic exhaustion that stems from a mismatch between the individual and their current educational environment. Within this unsettled landscape, gifted children face a set of challenges that contribute to their own form of burnout – one that has generated countless social media memes as well as heartfelt essays from grownups identifying as former gifted kids. Whether the stressor is the grind of a nine-to-five or familial responsibility, burnout can reach all demographics, including children whose experience of constant upheaval has taken a notable toll on their mental health. Originally defined by the World Health Organization as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” burnout has extended far beyond the cubicle. Here’s how parents can help.Įntering into year three of the pandemic, burnout is on everyone’s lips. Gifted kids face unique challenges when it comes to burnout.
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