I’ve noticed, the more I think and analyze a situation, the higher my levels of anxiety become. I have often told myself and others this: “I wish I was dumb”. To me, being less intelligent would mean having peace of mind, you know…”Ignorance is bliss” sort of thing. But then I think it over and then come up with even more questions like this one: “How do you categorize intelligence?”
So, to understand the correlation between high levels of anxiety and intelligence, intuition or even empathy, I must first look at each one separately. The objective is to gauge how these characteristics influence emotions and the ability to cope. Maybe there’s something there that can help bring out the best in us.
Intuition is something that I have been gifted with from an early age. You might say it came from trauma, which gave me the ability to reason and assess probability more effectively. It’s true that intuition is only making an educated guess based on past experiences, right? It could be more than that. Maybe there’s a slight bit of extra sensory perception involved, and a great deal of anxiety… possibly.
Did you know that people who are diagnosed with anxiety can predict situations 50% more frequently than those who do not have anxiety? It’s true, and so this gives a little insight on how these two relate. I remember speaking before about how being anxious wasn’t all bad and was actually a heightened “fight or flight” instinct.
Well, it’s not all bad, that’s true, but anxiety and intuition can also cause a state of alarm when nothing is even happening as well. So, basically, you take the good with the bad. But yes, there is a clear connection between high levels of anxiety and intuition.
A study at the Lakehead University in Canada proved that out of 100 students surveyed, those who exhibited higher levels of anxiety indeed had a higher I.Q. In a separate study, two psychiatrists, Tscahi Ein-Dor and Orgad Tal both reported that these students with higher I.Qs were also more alert to dangers in their surroundings. They had heightened senses of smell and hearing.
Now the downside of this, and we know there is a downside, is that intelligent people with high levels of anxiety can sometimes let this anxiety cripple them. Instead of taking action on all these analyzed scenarios in their head, they will sometimes become paralyzed and unable to act at all. No amount of intelligence can override some of the fears concocted by the anxious mind.
High levels of anxiety are common in empathy as well. The reason this rings true is that empathy means being able to feel what other people feel in such a heightened way that you find yourself wanting to “save the world”. Of course, you know you cannot save the entire world and that, in turn, makes you depressed. Being empathic carries a boat-load of responsibilities, at least that’s what you think. It’s important that you try to understand and walk in someone else’s shoes, right?
The connection between anxiety and empathy is strong because of the desire to always want to make things better. Sometimes, personally, I even try to understand how the turtle feels when it crosses the road, and even when I’m in a hurry, I will stop and help him across. If there are three turtles crossing the road in different locations, on a particular day, I will be late. Then I will worry about whether or not they wish to cross back again. sigh…
Sometimes, I just have to distract myself from such thoughts. lol
Okay, like I said before, there are good and bad sides to high levels of anxiety and the effects on your intuition, intelligence, and empathy. The bad side is losing control of your thoughts. Now, you might ask, why is it so terrible to be a little worried about things? Well, in case you didn’t know, anxiety is completely different from worry. Having high levels of anxiety contribute to many other physical and mental illnesses such as:
I was told that I worried too much when my car battery died a few days ago, and I started to make plans to buy a new one. I was also told that it was just because I left the door open and that after a while the battery would build back up and everything would be fine. So, I listened to this suggestion and felt like my anxiety was getting the best of me again.
The next day I was stranded, because why? My battery was bad! This time, I was right to use my logic to buy a new battery, but because of my anxiety track record, I listened to someone else. As you can see, having high levels of anxiety can be tricky. You have to know when to stick to your guns and when to admit that… “you worry too much.” This can be a difficult thing to do.
And no, it’s not rocket science to realize you need to purchase a battery for a car, but sometimes you will choose to ignore your intuition because of how your anxiety has caused problems in the past. There lies the biggest problem of all.
Here lies the cure…
There’s a word that wasn’t mentioned in this title, and I think it’s worthy of mentioning. The word discernment is your answer. Practicing healthy discernment is the key to conquering your doubts with high levels of anxiety in connection with intuition, intelligence, and empathy. As you grow older, you will understand when the time is right to fight or take flight…or simply do nothing at all.
Yes, it will take time, you will eventually gain a healthy insight on these things. From one anxious person to another, and to all those who love us…
Thank you for listening and learning.
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Too short an article on a very complex issue. But..it rings true for me.
I think my 10 yr old us an empath. He has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety (more the latter). He can not go to crowded places, he becomes overwhelmed. He has break downs. And I have always noticed how the mood of other affects him. Please, we need help. Life is becoming so difficult for him
TWD,
Oh yes, I was there too, in that place as a child. I could feel things so deeply that it disrupted my classwork. One thing I suggest first of all is that you give him plenty of creative outlets: Artwork, writing, music, singing....etc. Because these will be ways for him to continually express himself without feeling pressured to talk about it all the time. These things he is feeling are sometimes difficult to put into words, but much better into creative expression.
Never force him to go into crowded areas, but encourage him to get outside and connect with nature, it is soothing. When he is having break downs, be there for him and make sure he knows you are there to listen and help in whatever way you can. Hugs are great if he will allow it, if not, then just be there. I am far from an expert in any of this, no degree, no certification, but I was him a long time ago, or close to it. I couldn't spend a day in school without having a breakdown. This went on for months before I grew strong enough to stay a whole day without going home.
This is going to take time, talk with professionals, be supportive, and if you find others like him who are now adults, then speak with them. Never be harsh with him, that's for sure, and he will slowly begin to cope with all these feelings. Always shower him with love too! I don't think we can have too much of that. Just look at it this way, your child could be feeling things that most people do not feel until adulthood. This is quite a load on his mind. I believe, and this is just my opinion, that he is slowly learning how to process the realities of life around him.
I hope this helps.
That's mad my. Doc told me same
Declan,
Many doctors told me similar things about myself when I was struggling as a teen. I thought they had no idea what they were talking about, but they do. Over the years, I have noticed a correlation between anxiety and theses heightened senses. Sometimes these senses are pretty supernatural in nature - being times when I would have knowledge fo something that I shouldn't have.
There is a connection and it has allowed me to help others because of this connection.
I'm sorry but i must disagree - I have met and lived with someone with deep anxiety and panic attacks and his level of empathy was about 0, his degree of selfishness was absolutely elevated and in no way one could ever consider him particularly intelligent; I think that generalizing in this kind of things is not logical nor very close to the truth
Lara,
I have met others like this, so I can understand a bit of what you're saying about this person. I have a friend, known her for almost 20 years, and until just a few years ago, this is just the same way that I perceived her as well. She had high levels of anxiety and was also negative, holding onto grudges and grasping all that she could attain for herself. After a while, I started to deal differently with her, and she is now quite different in response to that and other stimuli from places and people unknown to me. She still harbors negativity, but she now loves to do things for others, and it has given her a small sense of peace in the process - her anxiety has improved drastically.
I have also noticed how selfishness plays into this as well. If you have experienced so much trauma in your lifetime, and thus deal with anxious feelings associated with this, you have that rare ability to become extremely selfish. I can tell you why. Selfishness sometimes comes from the fact that so many times, things were taken from you earlier in your life. As an adult, you might grasp for as much as you can, unwilling to share. It is such a negative attribute, but explainable. I have lived with such a person as well. Sometimes, empathy is destroyed by early treatment, especially any form of abuse. It takes a strong person to retain this empathy. At times, I get selfish, but I have learned that this is a bad decision and I need to get out of that mindset immediately!
I do apologize for generalizing, but usually, this behavior ends at some point as the person recognizes their flaws for what they are. There are rare and unfortunate times, however, that this behavior carries on and leads down dark pathways of selfishness. I am sorry for your friend and hope that he finds peace and recognizes this negative behavior as being unhealthy for him, his loved ones and any future relationships.
Thank you for reading, Lara.
WHY THOUGH?!
Carlin,
To put it into simple terms...I believe we are accessing areas of our brain that allow us to be able to more effectively discern things, feels things and know things. I believe this feeling of anxiety is just the stress of breaking through. It's kind of like cracking a coconut or breaking the barrier between ignorance and knowledge. Even when we learn something new, there's an "Aha!" moment, and it almost makes a sound. Imagine starting up a dormant area of your brain, what do you think it would sound like in animation? Do you think there would be no resistance when reaching this new level? Of course, there would be. When we grow, do we not have growing pains?
I just think society looks at mental illness in the wrong way, and thus, doesn't have the right tools to help.