Have you ever felt like a fraud at work? Maybe you’ve sat and wondered what you’re even doing there like you just don’t belong and it’s only a matter of time before everyone catches on to you? You’re not alone, in fact, studies show that a lot of people experience these thoughts and feelings. Let’s talk about what imposter syndrome is, what it looks like, and how to deal.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a condition that leaves a person feeling anxious and despite high-performance ways, a person experiencing imposter syndrome often doesn’t experience internal success. Regardless of achievements, a person with imposter syndrome doesn’t tend to feel confident or competent. In fact, imposter syndrome can cause a person to feel as if time is running out and they can’t keep the act up any longer. Imposter syndrome is most common among high achievers who feel as though they are unable to keep going.
Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome
Here are some of the most common characteristics of imposter syndrome:
- Self-doubt
- Sabatoging self success
- Guilt regarding success
- Setting unrealistic expectations
- The constant fear of not living up to expectations
- Burnout
- Perfectionism
- Anxiety
- Feeling inadequate
Five Types of Imposter Syndrome (As Told by Dr. Valerie Young)
The Perfectionist
A person experiencing this type of imposter syndrome tends to focus on the “how” such as how something is done and how things turn out. Despite being successful most of the time, one minor flaw or upset equals failure in their mind.
The Expert
This particular type of imposter syndrome focuses on the what and how much another person knows or can do. With this type of imposter syndrome, even a minor lack of knowledge makes them feel like a failure.
The Soloist
A person with this type of imposter syndrome cares about the “who”, specifically who completes the task. This person thinks they can do everything and they often associate failure with asking for help.
The Natural Genius
This person cares about how and when accomplishments happen, with competence measured by both ease and speed. The person with this type of imposter syndrome has to be excellent at something on the first try or it becomes a failure.
The Superhuman
This person just wants to see how many roles they can juggle successfully. Falling short in any role equals failure because they feel like they should be able to handle anything and everything thrown at them with ease.
Tips for Dealing With and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Learning to overcome imposter syndrome takes a little work and a lot of patience. You’ll need to do a fair amount of digging deep, but it is totally possible to overcome this mindset.
Lay It All Out
Begin to manage these negative thoughts by addressing them head-on. Start by saying one thought aloud or writing it does, monitor your internal dialogue as you do this, then ask yourself how you would support a friend having this same thought. When in doubt, always talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend.
Keep a Log of Your Accomplishments
Every last one of them. Sometimes just having a reminder of your successes can be helpful on the days when you’re just barely making it. So take notes, print nice emails, save handwritten notes and cards, and then whenever you need a little extra encouragement, take a look at your accomplishments, then remind yourself of all the things you’ve already proven to yourself you’re capable of doing.
Recruit Someone
Sharing your imposter feelings with another person can reduce loneliness and open doors for some seriously supportive conversation. Just make sure who you choose to share your feelings with is a trusted individual, and ideally someone outside of your professional circle.
Stop Feelings in Their Tracks
When you start to feel the imposter thoughts creeping in, acknowledge the thoughts and feelings you’re having, then take a moment also to acknowledge that just because you’re thinking it, doesn’t mean it’s true. Then remind yourself of the facts – you know what you’re doing and you’re capable of learning more.
Forget Being Perfect
Take some time to reevaluate and adjust the standards by which you measure success. And when something inevitably goes wrong, reframe it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Consider Therapy
A therapist can help you recognize and address your feelings and they can teach you how to work through these feelings of self-doubt and create new behaviors to get past them.