I find myself constantly being obsessed & anxious about my IQ

[SQAAD]

I am quite an obsessional guy who tends to ruminate over things that most people don't even think twice. I consider myself to be of average intelligence. Nothing extraordinary but i am quite capable of learning new things, acquiring skills & etc.

I remember 1 year ago watching a video from Jordan Peterson talking about IQ. He gave me the impression that if you don't have a high enough IQ then you are fucked in life and can't do certain jobs etc. I still regret watching that video because after that i find myself constantly doubting myself.I have not taken an official IQ test, nor will i do because i don't believe it measures intelligence as a whole. Also i am afraid of the result. If it is low then i will probably use that as an excuse to destroy my life.

After watching that IQ video my obsession got worse & worse. Now when i am working towards my goals/projects i find myself feeling very anxious & uncertain about my IQ. I doubt myself if am capable of achieving my goals and i feel a deep uncertainty because i don't really know how much intelligent i am.It is really a torment distracting me from doing deep work. I dont' know why i am so insecure. I think it stems from my childhood.

From Jordan Peterson's perspective it seems like you need to take an IQ test before attempting doing certain carreers.

 @Leo Gura I would love to hear your opinion aswell.

 

How can i cope with this?

I just wanna do what i love doing without these distracting thoughts and unpleasant emotions telling me that i may not be smart enough to achieve my goals.

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by SQAAD

[Inliytened1]

@SQAAD do these obsessive thoughts just pop up out of nowhere or from certain triggers?  You might have OCD which i know a lot about.

Its self deception on steroids.

Realize that these are thoughts and let them pass.  They have no meaning and are not real.  

[Forestluv]

I’ve spent sooo much time engaged with insecurities about my intelligence. Throughout my career, I felt like I was “an imposter” and any day now people would realize I was faking it and wasn’t smart enough.

A few big lessons I learned:

1. Stop accepting other people’s idea of intelligence.

2. Stop comparing myself to others based on their idea of intelligence.

3. There are many forms of intelligence: cognitive, emotional, creative, empathic, intuitive and social. Each are very powerful in certain contexts.  

4. Become aware of my natural abilities and deficiencies. Play to my favorite natural abilities and work on my deficiencies just enough to get by.

For example, throughout my scientific career, I was surrounded by “brilliant” scientists that had an immense amount of scientific details and knowledge stored in their brain. They were my standard for intelligent. Well it just so happens that I suck at memorization, have a crappy memory and don’t really give a shit about details. I am a natural abstract thinker that sees how things are integrated in the big picture. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I was 45 y.o. and spent most of my life trying to prove myself on someone else’s standard of intelligence that doesn’t resonate with me.

As well, I have a very strong empathic sense and a good amount of emotional and social intelligence. Those same “intelligent” scientists were absolute morons in these areas. Most research scientists suck at lab dynamics. They are clueless about the needs and inter-personal dynamics of people working in their own lab. I look back on on my days as a student researcher appalled at the emotional, personal, social crap that went on in the labs. The head P.I.s had very low intelligence and skills in so many areas. The best ones were aware of their deficiencies and hired a lab manager - which likely saved the lab from unraveling. Others were intellectually arrogant and oblivious to their own idiocy in other areas. 

[SQAAD]

@Inliytened1

2 hours ago, Inliytened1 said:

do these obsessive thoughts just pop up out of nowhere or from certain triggers?  You might have OCD which i know a lot about.

 

Usually these obsessive thoughts come from triggers. I have considered the possibility of OCD in the past but since my case is not so severe i haven't asked for help. 

Basically i have a very strong urge to feel certain about everything & i have very hard time dealing with uncertainty.

Also i constantly obsess over stupid things. I feel a constant tension. My mind is trying to control reality, overanalyzes everything and just won't give up.

Anything i hear or read i take it extremely serious &  give it much much meaning. I might dwell on something that i heard from someone for days or even longer. Especially about things related to by well-being and survival.

It's very frustrating because i never manage to feel certain. I always doubt everything.

 I just try not to perform the compulsions and get better. It was way worse in the past actually.

 

Since you know about OCD what would you advise me to do?

- Thanks

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by SQAAD

[SQAAD]

@Serotoninluv

2 hours ago, Serotoninluv said:

I’ve spent sooo much time engaged with insecurities about my intelligence. Throughout my career, I felt like I was “an imposter” and any day now people would realize I was faking it and wasn’t smart enough.

A few big lessons I learned:

1. Stop accepting other people’s idea of intelligence.

2. Stop comparing myself to others based on their idea of intelligence.

3. There are many forms of intelligence: cognitive, emotional, creative, empathic, intuitive and social. Each are very powerful in certain contexts.  

4. Become aware of my natural abilities and deficiencies. Play to my favorite natural abilities and work on my deficiencies just enough to get by.

 

Thank you for your advice,  i really appreciate it.

 But It's difficult to stop accepting other people's idea of intelligence when culture tells you that IQ=intelligence and it doesn't recognise anything else as intelligence.

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by SQAAD

[Inliytened1]

@SQAAD Yeah, OCD has been called the Doubt Disorder.

What are you describing is OCD to the tee - and their are mild forms of it such as what I have which allows me to still be highly functional - provided that I became self aware of my OCD and can go Meta on it when i identify it.

It's soooo very sneaky though that it will morph into different shapes and forms in order to sneak itself by you so that you are not aware it's OCD and you get lost in concepts and illusion which is what OCD wants you to have.

There is self deception and there is OCD which is much worse and frequent, although symptoms can come and go.

I still have mild symptoms but i'm able to identify it so quickly now that it has lost most of it's control over me.  It will still sneak something in now and then.

But work on the technique of realizing these thoughts are irrational, some call them synthetic thoughts (not thoughts coming from you) although after getting into spiritual work i realized that is kinda the deal with all thoughts...but these are just magnified.

So practice the technique of recognizing the triggers and recognizing when the thoughts come - go Meta on them and tell yourself in your mind that is this OCD.  You may have to repeat this to yourself over and over until it passes, or Meditate using the Do Nothing technique, which may cause anxiety at first since you are working on having the thoughts and emotions move through you until they pass, much like an addiction.

Medication can also help too relative to the ego - and here's why i bring that up.

Awakening/Enlightenment is pure Certainty, it's one of the most wonderful things you can experience as a human being - actually it is the most wonderful.  Your OCD and anxiety will completely melt away during this experience.

So you should practice the techniques and spirituality work because it will help with your anxiety/obsessive thoughts.  (Notice I do not want to stigmatize anyone by sayin they "have OCD" as that is purely a relative thought.

In fact in order for you to overcome "OCD" you can't think of yourself as actuallying having it, because then you are getting lost in concept.

You just have to be present and self aware when it comes up and then move on back into the present moment.  The key with obsessive thoughts is it is pulling you away from actuality and the present moment into delusion.    So the more you ground yourself in actuality the better you will be.

Edited April 30, 2019 by Inliytened1

[RichardY]

@SQAAD IQ is a proxy for intelligence, not intelligence itself. I believe there is a strong correlation, but not everyone does. Naseem Taleb for example.

A lower I.Q tradesmen is probably more intelligent, than a slightly higher I.Q writer.

I think a high I.Q may make changing in someways more difficult, like turning a big ship. With lower I.Q collective instinct, can more easily be allowed to takeover.

I knew someone for a short period with OCD, they supposedly would clean every week with bleach.

[Inliytened1]

@RichardY theres a lot of different forms and degrees of it.  What he is describing is mild and has no physical compulsions.

[SQAAD]

@Inliytened1 Thank you sir for your input.

I already meditate. It really helps a lot.

[SQAAD]

4 hours ago, RichardY said:

A lower I.Q tradesmen is probably more intelligent, than a slightly higher I.Q writer.

 

 

@RichardY

Why a lower IQ tradesmen is probably more intelligent than a slightly highter IQ writer? 

Edited April 30, 2019 by SQAAD

[RichardY]

@SQAAD More use to society. Lots of writers for news agencies, magazines etc for instance. Duplicating old ideas or not even that, nothing new under the sun.

[Forestluv]

On 4/29/2019 at 10:16 PM, SQAAD said:

@Serotoninluv

Thank you for your advice,  i really appreciate it.

 But It's difficult to stop accepting other people's idea of intelligence when culture tells you that IQ=intelligence and it doesn't recognise anything else as intelligence.

I would say that segments of culture recognizes and values various forms of intelligence. Yet I would agree that many cultures, in general, define and value intelligence as IQ-related.

And reality certainly recognizes other forms of intelligence. Reality recognizes creative, intuitive, empathic, social and emotional modes of intelligence, just as it does cognitive intelligence. Develop these modes and the mind-body's relationship with reality will be very different.

[Nahm]

@SQAAD You have no shortage of intelligence. You have overthinking. This post is just another in a series where the topic / content changes, while the cushion remains empty. 

When will you start the cure for overthinking?

Tonight?

Tomorrow?

A decade?  

[SQAAD]

@Nahm I have already started a meditation practice. It helps but i definetely need more of it. I also want to somehow reprogram my mind & stop being anxious/obsessed over every single detail. 

 

[Nahm]

@SQAAD Yes. I completely understand man. That’s still thinking though. That is what needs to be put down for a while. You’re not really hearing what is being said here. Stop blowing off the discipline. Starting cleaning up your diet, get some exercise everyday, and meditate twice a day for 30 minutes. Do what you can until you reach that point. Write down how you’re feeling if you get overwhelmed. Do not write down thoughts. Write about how you’re feeling. Get in touch with yourself. Give thinking a break. 

[d0ornokey]

Before you mentioned OCD I knew you had it within the first post

I would take Mark Freeman's ocd course. It helped a lot. As well as being driven to conquering the emotional issue 

Edited May 2, 2019 by d0ornokey

[SQAAD]

@d0ornokey I just watched one of Mark Freeman's videos on YouTube. This guy is a game changer. Thanks.

Btw do you suffer from OCD?

[d0ornokey]

@SQAAD yeah i do. What i found is that ocd took form in a different way after ive conquered it in one area.

For example maybe counquering being ocd about being gay but then finding myself being ocd about something else later 

So theres no "okay i did the exercises and im good" its more like, i need to be emotionally moving forward everyday 

Also, theres epigenetics as joe dispenza talks about. So maybe that could cure ocd from a more root cause approach