Life Experience

Do you feel you have a sufficient amount of life experience?

I have practically none, and it makes me feel like a low-functioner. Most of the people I know, at least over the internet, would describe me as intelligent, and though I can see why they would think that, I disagree. I may be knowledgeable on certain subjects and have my views on certain issues but when it comes to real life and practical situations, I fall to pieces.

Most of my knowledge is acquired through reading and observing, but never actually doing. My life experience is embarrassingly low, all I know is a bunch of useless crap that has no practical applications whatsoever. I become exhilarated collecting facts and information about certain subjects, when really, none of it is of any use at all.

I know more than the average Joe on a lot of things, but at the same time, I'm shamefully reliant on my mother when it comes to the most simple tasks.

For a while, I was obsessed with intelligence and 'expanding my mind'. Perhaps it was my lack of formal education that made me like this; I spent ages filling my mind with meaningless **** because it made me feel less stupid. I don't do this anymore, at least not to the extent that I used to, but I am still very self-conscious about my lack of education.

I feel like I should stop putting so much emphasis on knowledge and start focusing on real life, develop skills that are actually useful to me. I want to be able to live independently, and that's never going to happen if I continue in this way.

To me knowledge is good to have but what is more imporatnt is common sense, a sense of self reliance and wisdom gained through age and guess what? yes, life experience. I have a bit of life experience on paper but deep down I know it is very lacking. Part of that life experience is supposed to be gained from learning about relationships and people and I don't have enough experience of them to make sense of head and tail. I don't have common sense in most situations but I do have a bit of self reliance if pushed. My general knowledge is dismal and I can't do a pub quizz to save my life.

Truth be told I always respect and appreciate people more if they can tell me something interesting or show knowledge that I don't possess, bar jargon related to cars, and computers. It naturally gives you some confidence because you know something others don't.

No way. I'm 25 and I don't feel grown up at all. I don't think I'll really feel like an adult until I get a half decent job and move out. And that isn't happening in the near future. I feel so juvenile. But even then, most likely I won't have developed my social skills much further by the time I move out. I'll still be severely lacking experience. It's pretty hard to pick up when everyone around you is so far ahead.::

I have a reasonable amount of life experience, but I still don't feel "grown up". I still feel like a kid in a lot of ways. It's almost as though I don't feel like a real person a lot of the time. I look at people around me, and they seem real while I feel like a fake - as if I'm someone just pretending to be an adult. I'm like a child in an adult's body.

I have a number of good starts that would constitute a good amount of life experience if I had followed most of them through longer than I did. Unfortunately, my SA usually gets in the way of me experiencing my various jobs, activities, friends, and relationships to their fullest potential so I'm left with a choppy and half-finished life resume.

There's some life experiences that build you up... and then there's others that break you down. I think for some, or perhaps many of us here, it's the latter that's more abundant.

@ Shadowplay - your profile says you're only 17.

If that's accurate - I wouldn't worry if I were you.

Most 17 year olds around here that I know can barely even feed themselves.

Sounds like you're doing pretty good.

The way society is today in the West, it's hard to really "live" unless you're poor and scrambling to survive, or else do something radical, like join the military or Peace Corps or the circus or something.

Otherwise - modern life is relatively easy days.

If I were you, I'd wait another 20 years before lamenting too much.

Or - if you really want some "life experience", you could join the British Royal Marines (they're not as cool as the U.S. Marines, but close).

Or maybe volunteer to help out in some way... If you're up to it... Talking to the really depressed people, homeless, forgotten... hearing their stories... Can be very eye-opening. Or those in the hospice? Not sure what it's called exactly. But those people are literally at the end of their lives.

Well most of us on here have had life experience of mental illness. That is one way to build life experience, of trying to cope with it.

I feel like the last 5 to 10 years I have been really living, and built up a lot of life experience. There have been devastating lows of panic attacks, anxiety and knee pain, but also wonderful highs of days spent running and taking nature photographs. I've lived some of the best days of my life in the last 2 years.

The highs are even better because of the battles I have had to face. My life has been expanded by winning some of those battles.