I was considered surface based because I could never connect to any emotional work, not because I didn't want to, but because if I let myself open up to much I would fall apart. Not mentioned in this work is that I was plagued by anxiety and severe bouts of sadness not only throughout middle school, but until my freshman year of high school. I guess the bullying, the pressure I put on myself to be the best, and the lack of self-confidence affected me more than I thought. Being gifted actually led me to put more pressure on myself and I constantly felt like I wasn't good enough because the people around me were doing so much better. When you think about gifted and talented, the thought of pressuring kids to compete and be the best should come to the forefront