One of the saddest occurrences that can happen in a person’s life is if that person ever has to look in the mirror and ask, “Why am I so stupid?” Stupidity is a state of mind that can stem from a wide variety of situations and disorders.
The feeling that one is stupid is often a part of low self-esteem and confidence. Curing the feeling of stupidity requires assistance from family members, friends, support groups, and mental health providers. The following are some reasons that a person may feel that they are stupid or unintelligent:
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Childhood Abuse
Childhood abuse can come from parents, family members, teachers, authority figures, and high school bullies. Abusive parents may lash out at their young children because of financial stress or marital problems.
They may exaggerate little mistakes the children make, such as spilling some juice or getting a B on a report card. Such parents may utter words such as “you are stupid” and “you will never amount to anything.” Words are often more painful than any form of physical abuse is. Hurtful words remain in the minds of young children, and they stick with them throughout their lives.
High School Bullying
Bullying occurs in approximately 80 percent of educational institutions. Bullies have a habit of locating the shy children and beating them down with verbal and physical abuse. The bullies may repeatedly tell these children that they are stupid and worthless.
The sensitive children may go through their school years believing that they have low worth and importance. Bullied children may not discuss the bullying with their parents because of guilt and shame. Parents should make a point to try to learn to recognize the signs of bullying before the bullies damage their children.
Learning Disabilities
Some learning disabilities may make a person ask themself, “Why am I so stupid?” Examples of such learning disabilities are dyslexia, ADHD, and the like. Such children may have problems seeing words the way they are oriented on paper. They may also have trouble focusing and concentrating.
These children need to understand that the learning disabilities are not their fault. Some special courses and guidance can help disadvantaged children to focus on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Unfortunately, children with learning disabilities sometimes go undiagnosed for several reasons. The longer a disability goes unnoticed, the more difficult recovery becomes.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are disorders that affect a person’s thought processes, behaviors, and actions. Examples of such mood disorders are anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and unipolar depression. All three of those disorders can cause a person to have an obstructed learning ability.
Depression can often cause lethargy, overwhelming sadness, negative thought processes, and failure to complete schoolwork. Persons who suffer from severe depression may miss a great deal of time from school. Anxiety disorder can make a person feel stupid, as well. It can cause the person to have trouble focusing and concentrating.
Experiences With Poor Partners
Domestic violence survivors sometimes feel as if they are stupid. They may ask themselves, “Why am I so stupid?” They failed to recognize a narcissistic partner before that partner hurt them could cause such feelings of stupidity and worthlessness. The person may also feel stupid because the abuser has implanted that idea into their head. Abuse survivors are not stupid.
They are just unfortunate people who were preyed upon by malicious individuals. Even persons who have been in several poor relationships are not stupid. They need to learn to recognize people with type B personalities early in the relationship. Psychiatric specialists and therapists can help them to do such.
Frequent Drug Abuse
A person who develops a dependency on a drug such as marijuana, heroin, crack, cocaine, LSD, Ecstasy, and the like may begin to feel stupid and worthless one day. Such can occur because of the impact that the drug has had on the person’s brain.
Drugs often destroy brain cells that do not regenerate. A person who uses drugs for a long time may start having cognitive issues such as memory loss and slow response time.
A drug abuser may feel depressed and stupid because of the number of relationships they have lost during the dependency. The person may feel stupid because of the jobs that they have lost. Additionally, the person may feel guilty for allowing a drug to control their life.
However, that person needs to understand that drug addiction happens to millions of people around the world. Drug addiction is an evil monster that will take advantage of any person despite their level of intelligence.
Life Goes the Wrong Way
Some people feel stupid because they feel that they are unsuccessful. A 40-year-old woman may feel stupid because she does not have a partner or a husband. A 30-year-old man may feel stupid because he is not the executive of a prestigious company.
Life is what a person makes it. Fame, fortune, and love are not intended for everyone. The higher power has different plans for different people. Therefore, those unhappy with their lives should learn to find value in what they do have.
How to Help a Person Who Feels Stupid
Anyone who notices that a family member or friend feels stupid should take steps to assist that person. A close friend and family member could take several steps and actions to accomplish that. Reassuring the person about their glowing qualities is a good way to start. Everyone needs to hear compliments from time to time.
Any person who notices that another person is feeling low should try to bring that person’s mood up. Sometimes a simple visit or a phone call from a friend can help. A box of candy or a flower can help, as well. The caring friend or family member may also want to direct the person to a reliable psychiatrist, therapist, counselor, or care center.
How to Help Yourself if You Feel Stupid
A person who feels stupid will need to do things that make him, or her feel smart. For example, learning a new trade can boost a person’s ego very quickly. Exercising daily can change the chemicals in the brain and foster happiness. Reading books on boosting self-esteem and confidence can give a “stupid” person the ammunition that they need to change negative thought processes.
Reaching out to family members and friends can also help. Furthermore, searching for like individuals online can help a great deal. Several online communities are available for people to support each other. Google provides a list of links to just about any situation. Mental illness, learning disabilities, abuse survival, bullying, drug abuse recovery, and childhood neglect have groups dedicated to them.
Meditation and healing are two large subjects to which hundreds of website owners dedicate their time. An individual who wants to stop feeling stupid can reach out to someone who cares today. Help is just a mouse click away. All the person has to do is lift a finger.
