4 Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
I have been hearing about imposter syndrome a lot lately and I think it is time to talk about this common struggle. Imposter syndrome usually indicates something is deeper beneath the surface so this is the perfect place to start your healing journey. In this post, learn about imposter syndrome and 4 ways to overcome this unhealthy mindset!
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is very common because we live in a society that focuses on faults rather than strengths. So what is imposter syndrome anyway? It is an intense feeling or thought that no matter how hard you work at something you’re never going to be good enough. When you accomplish something, you feel like it isn’t enough or doubt that what you did is even worthy of recognition. If someone is better at something than you, you take it personally and feel like you’re incompetent instead of understanding that everyone has unique strengths and abilities. It’s an intense feeling of self-doubt that can eventually take over every aspect of your life…if it hasn’t already. You feel like no matter what you accomplish or how smart you are, you’re still a failure and will never be successful. To sum it all up, it’s an intense feeling of self-doubt.
4 Steps to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
I’m sure you have experienced imposter syndrome from time to time OR you’re currently struggling with it on the regular. We are all human and we all experience negative thoughts at some level so never feel like you’re struggling with this on your own. There are so many support groups and licensed mental health professionals that can help you if you feel like you can’t do this on your own. Overcoming this mindset is challenging BUT completely possible! There are 4 key steps in winning this internal battle – all you have to do is show up for yourself…
Acknowledge Your Feelings
The first step in overcoming imposter syndrome is to simply acknowledge what you’re feeling. Sometimes, we get embarrassed to admit our deepest thoughts, so we bury them deep down where it festers and grows. Bring your feelings to the surface so that you know exactly what you’re feeling; you can’t heal if you don’t even know what you’re healing from. Understand your genuine feeling and be completely honest with yourself – journaling is really helpful for this. You NEED to pinpoint what it is that you’re insecure about so you can move on to the next step. CLICK FOR MORE ON JOURNALING!
Here are some common questions to ask yourself…is your imposter syndrome coming from an academic standpoint? Do you feel like you’re going to fail every class, flunk every test, or you’re just not smart enough in general? Is it coming from your workplace? Do you feel like you aren’t qualified for your job and constantly question why they hired you? Or is it general self-doubt? Do you feel like a fraud in every aspect of your life?
Challange Your Doubts
Once you have an understanding of your feelings, challenge them. By challenge, I mean bringing rationality to the table. Most of the time, like 99.9% of the time, your self-doubt is not even valid; you make it valid with self-produced thoughts that are negative. To challenge a thought, all you have to do is ask yourself if what you’re saying is accurate AND back it up with proof…9 times out of 10, you can’t back it up with definitive proof that your statement is true.
For example, if your imposter syndrome is coming from the academic perspective, ask yourself if you have in fact failed every class and flunked every test…the answer is no. Also, if you really are as dumb as you say you are, then why did you get into that school, get those grades, take those classes?… Exactly, you aren’t dumb at all, because if you were none of that would have happened.
If you’re feeling like a fraud at your job, ask yourself if you have been fired…that’s right, you haven’t so stop putting it in your head that you aren’t doing a good job. Trust me, if your employer isn’t happy with your work then they will let you know. If at some point they do tell you exactly that, then that is your sign to move on and do something better…it doesn’t mean you’re a failure.
Stop Comparing Yourself
Next, stop comparing yourself to others. We are all unique and we all have different strengths and weaknesses – no one is the same! No one is perfect and we all experience some level of self-doubt so stop thinking that everyone is better than you because that is not the case. We are all just trying to make something positive in this life and just because someone may be better than you at something does not, in any way, make you inadequate…and if someone directly tells you that, tell them to shove it! You have many strengths that the next person doesn’t have…does that make them inadequate?…absolutely NOT! You can’t compare apples to oranges – same as you can’t compare yourself to someone else because there is no comparison! We all live uniquely different lives and no one has the same struggles. Just do YOUR best – no one else’s! Stay in your lane and ONLY focus on improving yourself. Do better than what you did before because that is all you can do.
Do you think those influencers you aspire to be are worried about the next person?…hell no, if they were they wouldn’t be where they are at…they are doing them so take note and do just that. JUST. DO. YOU.
Affirm
Lastly, affirm that you are good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc. Literally, tell yourself that you are worthy of all the things you want in life…you are in no way lying to yourself so get that out of your head! You ARE good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, and all the other things that you doubt! If you have never practiced affirmations, it is time to start RIGHT NOW! affirmations are phrases you say out loud or think to yourself. In detail, affirmation defined means the act of affirming. Hence, when you say or think a phrase repeatedly, you are affirming that it is true. When you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, affirmations are incredibly helpful because they help shift your mindset and rewire that type of negative thinking. MORE ON AFFIRMATIONS!
Final Thoughts
Imposter syndrome isn’t healthy and it’s time to value yourself for what you are truly worth because believe me, you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for! Consistently repeat these 4 steps until those negative self-thoughts are gone – consistency is key.