Stress
According to research, gifted students are more susceptible to stress due to their asynchronous development and unique personality traits. Many gifted youngsters have a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings, to events, to ideas, and to expectations. Some experience their own high expectations for achievement as a relentless pressure to excel. They tend to feel lonely, to hide their abilities from others to fit in, to feel the pressure of needing to achieve at very high levels, to feel the pressure of ridicule from classmates because they are high level achievers. Perfectionism develops in many and they become unhappy with their level of performance in many areas. They may also develop depression and fears. Many gifted students accept responsibility for a variety of activities such as a demanding courseload; leadership in school activities, clubs, or sports; and part-time jobs. Even if it were humanly possible, doing everything well would be physically and emotionally stressful.
How Can Gifted Students Cope with Stress?
Some ways of coping with stress are healthy; others are not. Some healthy ways of handling stress include the following:
How Can I Tell Whether or Not a Gifted Student Is Experiencing Burnout?
Not all gifted students find stress from the same things. Each student responds to stress differently – teenagers respond differently than younger children. Parents and teachers will have to watch carefully to know when a child is stressed to the point of damaging overload.
The following checklist includes many, but not all, symptoms of burnout:
___ Student is no longer happy or pleasantly excited about school activities, but, rather, is negative or cynical toward work, teachers, classmates, parents, and the whole school- and achievement-centered experience.
___ Student approaches most school assignments with resignation or resentment.
___ Student exhibits boredom.
___ Student suffers from sleeplessness, problems in falling asleep, or periodic waking.
___ Student overreacts to normal concerns or events.
___ Student experiences fatigue, extreme tiredness, low energy level.
___ Student exhibits unhappiness with self and accomplishments.
___ Student has nervous habits such as eye blinking, head shaking, or stuttering.
___ Student has physical ailments such as weekly or daily stomachaches or headaches.
___ Student is frequently ill.
___ Student exhibits dependency through increased clinging or needing and demanding constant support and reassurance.
___ Student engages in attention-getting behaviors such as aggressive or acting-out behaviors.
___ Student has a sense of being trapped or a feeling or being out of control.
___ Student is unable to make decisions.
___ Student has lost perspective and sense of humor.
___ Student experiences increased feelings of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion in work and activities that used to give pleasure
How Can Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Reduce Stress on Gifted Students?
(Leslie S. Kaplan, 1990 from ERIC EC Digest #E488)
According to research, gifted students are more susceptible to stress due to their asynchronous development and unique personality traits. Many gifted youngsters have a heightened sensitivity to their surroundings, to events, to ideas, and to expectations. Some experience their own high expectations for achievement as a relentless pressure to excel. They tend to feel lonely, to hide their abilities from others to fit in, to feel the pressure of needing to achieve at very high levels, to feel the pressure of ridicule from classmates because they are high level achievers. Perfectionism develops in many and they become unhappy with their level of performance in many areas. They may also develop depression and fears. Many gifted students accept responsibility for a variety of activities such as a demanding courseload; leadership in school activities, clubs, or sports; and part-time jobs. Even if it were humanly possible, doing everything well would be physically and emotionally stressful.
How Can Gifted Students Cope with Stress?
Some ways of coping with stress are healthy; others are not. Some healthy ways of handling stress include the following:
- Change the source of the stress. Do something else for a while. Put down those study notes and jog for an hour.
- Confront the source of the stress. If it is a person, persuade him or her to remove the stress. Ask the teacher for an extension on a project. Sit down with the person driving you crazy and talk about ways you might better work together.
- Talk about the source of stress. Rid yourself of frustration. Find a good listener and complain. Talk through possible solutions.
- Shift your perspective. Tell yourself that each new situation or problem is a new challenge, and that there is something to be learned from every experience. Try to see the humorous side of the situation.
- Learn skills and attitudes that make tasks easier and more successful. Practice effective organization and time-management skills. For example, large projects are easier and less overwhelming when broken down into manageable steps. Learn to type and revise assignments on a word processor. Learn about yourself and your priorities, and use the information to make decisions. Learn how to say "no" gracefully when someone offers you another attractive (or unpleasant) task about which you have a choice. Tell yourself that this unpleasantness will be over soon and that the whole process will bring you closer to reaching your goal. Mark the days that are left on the calendar, and enjoy crossing out each one as you near the finish.
- Take time out for enjoyable activities. Everyone needs a support system. Find friends, teachers, or relatives with whom you have fun. Spend time with these people when you can be yourself and set aside the pressures of school, work, or difficult relationships. As a reward for your efforts, give yourself work breaks. Listen to your favorite music, shoot baskets, or participate in some other brief activity that is mentally restful or fun.
- Ignore the source of the stress. Practice a little healthy procrastination and put a pleasant activity ahead of the stressful one. This, is, of course, only a short-term solution.
- Get regular physical exercise and practice sound nutrition. Physical activity not only provides time out, but also changes your body chemistry as you burn off muscle tension built up from accommodating stress. Exercise also increases resistance to illness. Nutritious food and regular meals help regulate your body chemistry and keep you functioning at your sharpest. Eating healthy and attractively prepared food can be an enjoyable activity on its own.
How Can I Tell Whether or Not a Gifted Student Is Experiencing Burnout?
Not all gifted students find stress from the same things. Each student responds to stress differently – teenagers respond differently than younger children. Parents and teachers will have to watch carefully to know when a child is stressed to the point of damaging overload.
The following checklist includes many, but not all, symptoms of burnout:
___ Student is no longer happy or pleasantly excited about school activities, but, rather, is negative or cynical toward work, teachers, classmates, parents, and the whole school- and achievement-centered experience.
___ Student approaches most school assignments with resignation or resentment.
___ Student exhibits boredom.
___ Student suffers from sleeplessness, problems in falling asleep, or periodic waking.
___ Student overreacts to normal concerns or events.
___ Student experiences fatigue, extreme tiredness, low energy level.
___ Student exhibits unhappiness with self and accomplishments.
___ Student has nervous habits such as eye blinking, head shaking, or stuttering.
___ Student has physical ailments such as weekly or daily stomachaches or headaches.
___ Student is frequently ill.
___ Student exhibits dependency through increased clinging or needing and demanding constant support and reassurance.
___ Student engages in attention-getting behaviors such as aggressive or acting-out behaviors.
___ Student has a sense of being trapped or a feeling or being out of control.
___ Student is unable to make decisions.
___ Student has lost perspective and sense of humor.
___ Student experiences increased feelings of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion in work and activities that used to give pleasure
How Can Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Reduce Stress on Gifted Students?
- Help each gifted student understand and cope with his or her intellectual, social, and emotional needs during each stage of development.
- Help each gifted student develop a realistic and accurate self-concept. Parents and teachers need to set realistic expectations for efforts and achievements and help the student choose appropriate goals. It is important to recognize and appreciate efforts and improvement.
- Help each gifted student be a whole person. Gifted youngsters are children first and gifted second. While their learning styles may be special, they are individuals with emotions, likes and dislikes, and unique personalities.
- Show patience. Let students select and strive toward their own goals. Do not compare them or their achievements to others.
- Show acceptance and encouragement. Encourage students to work purposefully, thoughtfully, and thoroughly and do the best they can. It is not necessary to excel in every situation. Help them develop priorities to decide which tasks require the best efforts and which require simply "good enough."
- Understanding and following rules does not mean conforming to every situation. Some parents unintentionally send mixed messages regarding behavior. When children are rude or uncooperative and offend teachers, other adults, or peers, their parents behave as though giftedness somehow excuses such behavior and the offending actions highlight their child's specialness. Some even seem pleased. These parents do their children a great disservice by denying them the opportunity to learn empathy, teamwork, and tolerance for individual differences.
- Let students live their own lives. Caring adults support, encourage, and celebrate students' efforts and successes, but they stand back a bit from these efforts and achievements. They let students select and master activities for personal enjoyment.
- Be available for guidance and advice. Some gifted students appear to be more mature than their chronological age indicates. They have advanced verbal skills and can talk a good line. Nevertheless, they are still children and need realistic, clearly stated guidelines about limits, values, and proper behavior. These young people may not have enough information or experience to make wise and effective decisions. They may not understand decision-making processes, and they need wise adults to listen and guide as they talk through the problem, the alternatives, and the pro's and con's and try out choices.
(Leslie S. Kaplan, 1990 from ERIC EC Digest #E488)