Combating Imposter Syndrome

If you are familiar with strong feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy, and an impending doom of being “found out” you may be suffering from the psychological phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome.

Here, we look at the concept of imposter syndrome and ways you can combat that pesky feeling of self-doubt and resolve imposter feelings productively.

Imposter Syndrome refers to an internal feeling or belief that you are in some way inadequate or incompetent despite no evidence to confirm this belief.

Originally termed the imposter phenomenon, the concept was developed by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 founding study.

Imposter syndrome can manifest itself in every facet of our lives not just in our career. It is that niggling feeling that you don’t belong, that you don’t deserve that job, promotion, compliment or even partner.

While anyone can experience these feelings, culture, race and gender do play a role.  There are a few demographics who tend to be more susceptible to these feelings of self-doubt with research suggesting imposter syndrome affects women and people of colour disproportionately.

Those who suffer from imposter syndrome tend to experience various signs such as:

• An inability to assess or acknowledge their achievements
• Believe their achievements are due to external factors such as luck or timing
• Criticise or diminish their performance or success
• Fear they fall short of expectations
•  Overachieving

Imposter syndrome can be extremely limiting and debilitating and can hold people back from reaching their full potential and future success. For some it can fuel their motivation to achieve, however it is usually accompanied by constant anxiety, fearing you will make a mistake, or aren’t measuring up to expectations.

Perfectionism is tightly linked to imposter syndrome where people feel internally pressurised to always perform to 100% of their ability and can overwork or overprepare as a result. This pressure can eventually take a toll on your emotional wellbeing and your performance.

Overcoming imposter syndrome can help people continue to grow and thrive. This involves a change in an individual’s mindset about their own abilities and an injection of self-belief. While it can be a vicious cycle and difficult to break this pattern of thinking, there are strategies that can help change the way you think and overcome imposter syndrome:

Acknowledge your feelings
Acknowledge your feelings, lean into them and accept them.  By identifying your imposter thinking tendencies, it can help you take control of your actions and begin to untangle why you feel this way.

It is important to separate feelings from facts. Recognise that just because you think these things doesn’t necessarily mean they are true.

It is also important to remind yourself that you are not alone in feeling this way and many of your colleagues, friends and family have similar thoughts.  Some studies suggest that 70% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career.

Own your success
Take ownership of your successes and give yourself credit where it is due.  Reflect on your past achievements, success and wins (big and small). Write them down, it can be helpful to have a tangible reminder. You might also want to keep this list somewhere that is visible to remind yourself of everything you have achieved to date.

Make note of the praise, feedback and compliments you received and read over them when self-doubt begins to creep in, and you need a pick me up or concrete evidence or validation of your skills and talents. It is also important to try and learn how to accept and enjoy your success.

Stop comparing
Benchmarking and measuring your achievements to others is a sure-fire way to feel like you don’t measure up. Comparing your success to others will only allow you to find some fault with yourself that ignites and inflames those feelings of self-doubt.

Solely focus on measuring your own achievements and benchmark your accomplishments and growth on your past self.

Talk to someone
Irrational feelings and thoughts tend to fester and manifest when we allow ourselves to ruminate on them and keep them to ourselves. A good chat and talking about how you are feeling with someone you trust can be extremely beneficial and help reassure you that these feelings are normal but also irrational.

Most people experience moments of doubt and is a totally normal part of life. However, self-doubt can be paralysing. If you continue to struggle with imposter feelings, a therapist can offer support and help address the deep-rooted beliefs that allows imposter syndrome to grow.

The Thrive wellbeing is also here to offer advice and support when you need it. We have produced a wealth of insightful and practical wellbeing webinars that may help you in your efforts to overcome imposter syndrome such as How to Nurture Your Happiness and Purpose, Maximising Brain Potential and The Power of Mindset.

For more advice or information, check out our dedicated wellbeing hub. Alternatively, you contact the Thrive wellbeing team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or by phone: (+353) 86 0243294.

This article was first published by Chartered Accountants Ireland at the following URL: https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/thrive-wellbeing-hub/help-and-guides/emotional-health/combating-imposter-syndrome