Introduction
Ever feel as if you’re making it up? You get a new job, you receive a promotion or win an award and someone or something tells you: “You don’t deserve that. Somebody’s going to realize you don’t fit in.” If that sounds familiar, then you may be experiencing imposter syndrome. It’s that niggling feeling of self-doubt and intellectual fraudulence, even in the face of an army of facts demonstrating that you are skilled and productive.
What I’d tell this reader is that’s actually not atypical to feel that, and it doesn’t mean you’re weak or insecure. It means you’re human. In this post, we’re to peel back the layers of what imposter syndrome is and how you can recognize if you’re dealing with it and most importantly: What are going to do about it? You’ll get practical tactics for how to drown out that inner critic and claim your accomplishments.
What Exactly Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is feeling, “They’re more skilled or capable than I am but they don’t really know who I am. It’s a phenomenon that can probably ring true — for most of us, it hits on something in the back of our minds where we feel self-doubt about our ability to perform a task competently or well, and like we’re going to be found out as an impostor. For those with imposter syndrome, it’s like no amount of evidence to the contrary ever really convinces them that they’re actually doing well when getting on or meeting career milestones is nothing but a fluke and they don’t belong where they have got to.
It wasn’t a single instance of self-doubt, but part of a pattern. It could lead to you forcing yourself to work harder, anxious about covering up your “inadequacies,” which can then result in burnout. But when you do succeed, you tell yourself it was fluke or circumstance, not your own skill. This chain validates the emotion and so it is difficult to break.
First identified in the 1970s by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. While they initially zeroed in on high-achieving women, subsequent research has shown that imposter syndrome affects people of all genders, backgrounds and professions. Millions of people — from bricklayers to surgeons to corporate executives — are terrified that if anyone finds out, they will punitive reparation as an intellectual fake.
Common Signs of Imposter Syndrome
The first step to taking back your life from imposter syndrome is recognizing that it’s there. And it can present in all sorts of ways, often disguising itself as perfectionism or anxiety. Which of these symptoms do you recognise?
- Pervasive Self-Doubt: You can’t find trust in yourself regardless of the level of achievement you’ve had before.
- Success Is Luck: You believe your success is the product of luck, timing and/or that you have fooled others into thinking you are smarter than they think you are.
- Fear Phobia: This phobia of yours holds you back, pushes or scares that shit out of you that it would leave you over-prepare like mad or procrastinate on important things.
- You’re a perfectionist Your expectations are impossible. When you don’t, then there’s a lot of self-doubt and shame.
- Can’t Take Your Success Indoors You don’t like compliments, and you never want to take your compliment. You may dismiss compliments, feel undeserving.
- You Compare Yourself to Others: You are always comparing your skill level to that of other knitters, and feel like you don’t measure up – but guess what?… that means you’re neglcting the unique talents that are making you – YOU, as well as ignoring how far along in your knitting journey you’ve even traveled.
These feelings can impact your career, preventing you from applying for promotions or speaking up when the right thing to do is share your ideas. They can disrupt relationships as you sabotage the love and support that are coming your way, and they can stunt personal growth by keeping you in a protective crouch where things feel safe even when they’re hurting you.
Practical Ways to Crush Imposter Syndrome
You don’t have to live in imposter syndrome forever. There are tools and habits you can establish to challenge these thoughts and develop true self-confidence. Here are some real steps you can start taking today.
Acknowledge and Reframe Your Thoughts
Everyone experiences impostor syndrome differently, but the first step is to recognize when you are experiencing those feelings. Not to oppose them, or get mad at yourself for having them. Notice the thought: “I’m having the thought that I don’t belong here. And then you take away that thought’s power when you start separating from it.
And after you identify it, reframe those emotions. Instead of: “I have no idea how to do this,” try: “This is something new, and I’m capable of figuring it out — just like before.” This reframe moves the narrative from one of lack to one of growth and potential.
Talk About It
One of the most effective tools for breaking imposter syndrome is to open it up. Tell someone how you feel, a friend, family member, mentor or therapist. (The chances are, you’ll feel in good company.) “What a beautiful way to have somebody say, ‘I feel that way too sometimes,’ ” you’re not alone, what you’re feeling is normal.
When you share your feelings, you break the cycle of isolation on which impostor syndrome relies in order to thrive. It provides a new point of view that you might be able to look at your situation from.
Keep an Accomplishment Journal
Our brains, by nature, are wired with a negativity bias and remember failures more than successes. Counteract this with an “accomplishment journal” or a “brag file.”
- TO INCLUDE: Every win, big or small. What is a difficult problem you have solved? Receive an email compliment from a customer? Did a colleague thank you for your help? Write it all down.
- How it helps: Review your saved journal entries when you’re feeling like a fraud. The lies of imposter syndrome are that much harder to buy when you have that tangible proof in hand. It’s physical proof of your skills and achievements.
Practice Self-Compassion
Treat yourself as kindly as you would a friend who experienced periods of doubt. Maybe your inner critic is particularly mean. Self-compassion is the antidote.
(And so next time, instead of berating yourself for making a mistake, remind yourself that everyone does.) Practice some mindful self-compassion: You can “acknowledge” your own suffering, remember that it’s something all humans deal with and extend kindness to yourself. This works as an inoculation and helps to help you bounce back from failures without spiraling into a pit of self-doubt.
Stop Comparing and Start Connecting
Social media and cutthroat work can easily put us in the comparison trap. Just know you’re likely comparing your behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel.
Worry more about what you are doing and how far you have come. If you are comparing: Work on moving this from comparison to connection. Instead of resenting the success of a peer, congratulate them and ask how they did it. Turn a moment that might provoke envy, or anger, into an opportunity for learning and collaboration.
You Belong Here
Imposter syndrome is not something you can expect to cure over night. You just can’t have them, which means you need to develop new mental habits and be patient with yourself. Some days this will come easier than others. The goal should never be to rid ourselves of any experience of self-doubt but rather, find the tools with which to battle it when it does emerge.
Remind yourself that if you are so concerned about being an imposter, you probably aren’t one. You care about your work, you’re trying to be good and you hold yourself to a high standard. So, you only need to start giving yourself the credit— your cue time. You’ve got a seat at the table.
