How to address Impostor Syndrome

HOW TO ADDRESS IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

I’m a fraud, maybe I only got this job thanks to random or serendipitous luck. What if my co-workers find out I’m not good enough? Sounds familiar? When Impostor Syndrome gets in our head and mind, an avalanche of insecurity and self sabotage can overwhelm our everyday thoughts. Impostor Syndrome can turn our thoughts into a downward spiral of negative self-talk, diminishing confidence and fueling fears of getting found out. This can result in loss of motivation and productivity, as we feel that something is always going to go wrong.

WHAT IS IMPOSTOR SYNDROME?

This phenomenon is well known, and it’s been studied since 1970s. It was first identified by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, after they noticed shared experiences among high-achieving professional women. It means that you feel like every achievement is a false positive, a result of good luck or coincidence. It creates a constant fear of being discouraged, discovered or exposed as a fraud. Impostor Syndrome is characterized by feelings of self doubt regarding your capabilities and achievements. You might find yourself dismissing recognition you received for your hard work as undeserved or believing that you are less qualified or skilled than your peer. People who suffer from this syndrome often feel like frauds – despite being smart, skilled, and capable professionals who deserve whatever recognition, commendations and praise they are given. Rather than celebrating their accomplishments, they worry that they have somehow tricked people into thinking they’re good enough. As a result, they live in fear of being “found out’’ or “exposed.

FIVE TYPES OF IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

In the Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, Doctor Valerie Young defines five Variants of this phenomenon:

Perfectionists: Perfectionism and impostor syndrome often go hand-in-hand. Perfectionists set excessively high goals for themselves, and even reaching 99% success can feel like a total failure. They focused on how things should be done, everything must be executed perfectly and any flaw can call their competence in question. They experience major self-doubt and worry about measuring up. They are often guilty of micromanaging.

The Superhuman: Being an outstanding and efficient student, brother, wife, manager etc. should never be a problem for this variant. Since people who experience this phenomenon are convinced they’re phonies among real-deal colleagues, they often push themselves to work harder and harder to measure up. But this is just to cover-up for their insecurities, and the work overload may harm not only their own mental health, but also their relationship with others.

The Natural Genius: People with this competence type believe they need to be a natural genius. As such, they judge their competence based ease and speed as opposed to their efforts. In other words, if they take a long time to master something, they feel shame. These types of impostors set their internal bar impossibly high, just like perfectionists. But natural genius types don’t judge themselves based on ridiculous expectations. They also judge themselves based on getting things right at the first try.

The Experts: Experts always nod along to every idea. Experts are afraid of being perceived as stupid or unknowledgeable. They need validation from certifications and trainings before starting big projects and they won’t apply for a job unless they meet each and every requirement. Asking questions or speaking their minds during a meeting is just creating a potential opportunity to unveil their lack of knowledge.

The Soloist: The soloist represents a person with impostor syndrome who has extreme difficulties asking others for help. For soloists, asking for help is a sign of weakness. Perhaps they feel that others are not as competent as themselves or that they must prove their own worth through their accomplishments and productivity.

How to Address Impostor Syndrome

If this sounds like you—what to do? Here are some practical tips and strategies you might consider exploring:

(1) Know the signs: We often overlook the signs of impostor syndrome that come up in our day-to-day lives. However, recognizing these signs is the first step forward in overcoming them. You might suffer from impostor syndrome if: You feel like you “got lucky” when you prepared well and worked. You apologize for yourself when you didn’t actually do something wrong. Pay attention to your language choices, both when you’re talking to other people and when you’re talking to yourself –especially when it comes to talking about work. If you find your own success or praise others you uncomfortable, do reflective thinking on where those types of thoughts came from and what it means in your professional life.

(2) Be kind to yourself: Impostor syndrome often manifests itself as a voice in our heads, berating us with negative messages like “you are not good enough” or “you are a fraud.” Negative self-talk is a bad habit, and it can heavily influence our stress and anxiety levels. “Being kind to yourself” simply means changing the way you talk to yourself in your head by practicing positive self talk. Not only can it help you become less stressed and anxious, but it can also help you build the courage to do things that will bring greater rewards.

(3) Avoid comparing yourself to others: Everyone has unique abilities. You are where you are because someone recognized your talents and potential. Instead of allowing others’ success to highlight your flaws, consider exploring ways to develop the abilities that interest you.

(4) Track and measure your successes: When you feel like an impostor, one of the hardest things to grasp is how much of a role you have in your own successes. You might default them to random luck or others’ hard work, when in fact, your own work, knowledge and preparation had a lot to do with it.

(5) Talk about it with your mentor or coach: No one should suffer in silence. Sharing your thoughts and experiences with someone else will make you better equipped to deal with your impostor syndrome. Your mentor will be able to help you talk candidly about your struggles with impostor syndrome while giving you a more objective point of view.

The bottom line

Success doesn’t require perfection. True perfection is practically impossible, so failing to achieve it doesn’t make you a fraud. Offering yourself kindness and compassion instead of judgment and self doubt can help you maintain a realistic perspective and motivate you to pursue healthy self-growth.

The Fab Chieftess believes that women can have it all without sacrificing the other areas in life. By developing a strategy, accountability, and mindset work you can discover a better way to enrich and live the life you want to lead. Book a consultation today!