Have you ever started a new job or been accepted into something big with responsibility and then just felt terrible about it? You feel like you don't really belong or aren't good enough and worst of all eventually, everybody's gonna find out? That right there that's the imposter syndrome talking, and it's absolutely no way to live. So, today we're going to discuss what imposter syndrome is, where it comes from and most importantly the ways you can overcome it.
The imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where people feel like they're not as competent as their achievements indicate and it can be a major problem because it means you're living in a constant state of stress, anxiety and depression. You feel like you are faking it, always looking over your shoulder to see if somebody's going to expose you. This happens to people in many professions and levels of power, from CEOs of major corporations, all the way down to new writers and authors of upcoming blogs. Impostor syndrome stumps people, even successful people from reaching their full potential. Victims can get so worried that they'll be 'found out' that they develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, like overworking, not asking for raises or promotions, or ironically procrastination, all of this because they're afraid they'll just end up failing when they actually do the things they were hired to do.
Some people give up entirely and settle for menial jobs below their capabilities. This can also manifest physical symptoms such as anxiety, stress, or panic attacks, and in extreme cases, victims can turn to substance abuse. All of these things can negatively impact a person's productivity, causing burnout and/or failure, which in turn just makes the imposter syndrome worse. Oddly enough, when imposter syndrome was initially discovered, it was very wrongly thought to solely affect women, which is why so much research on the subject is primarily targeted towards them. But make no mistake imposter syndrome affects all genders and ethnicities. However, cases affecting women and minority groups are heard about more often for one simple reason, that is that one of the leading causes of imposter syndrome is feeling like the odd one out in any environment. However, there are a myriad of other causes. Another major cause that many of us have unfortunately experienced is a hostile, hyper-competitive work culture. This is all too common in academia and creative fields where people can be shunned for not volunteering for excessively long hours or are often judged against one another.
Unfortunately, too many of us probably know exactly what imposter syndrome feels like, and maybe even have some thoughts about where it comes from for you.
So let's get to the most important bit, managing these impostor-esque feelings. When it comes down to it, imposter syndrome is really a symptom of having a warped idea of what constitutes competency. Feeling like you aren't supposed to be there, or that you're failing everybody around you comes from expecting and demanding perfection from yourself, or the idea that you have to do everything on your own without asking for help therefore, first, you have to learn to accept that nobody's perfect. You don't need to do it all. It's okay to ask for help when you need it, because you don't need to know everything. Shockingly, nearly 70% of people experience the imposter syndrome at some point in their lives. Mike Meyers, Neil Gaiman, Maya Angelou, even Oprah, all highly successful people have spoken openly about dealing with Imposter syndrome in the past. Now something actionable that you can do the next time you begin to feel the imposter syndrome creeping up, is look around everybody around you and remember that statistically, over half of them are feeling like imposters as well. So, how is it that they all seem so natural and competent compared to you? Because most people are faking it at least to some degree. Nobody is actually perfect and totally competent and we're all learning as we go. As cliche as the line "fake it till you make it" sounds, it can often be the most helpful mindset in overcoming the impostor syndrome. Though it is easier said than done, you can do that by reframing your thoughts away from negatives. Lastly also remember, once a wise man said that “Life is a sculpture that you cast as you make mistakes and learn from them.”
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