How to Overcome The Imposter Syndrome
Do you feel proud of what you've accomplished? Or do you feel like a fraud?
And does each raise, promotion or accolade bring joy? Or is it accompanied by the dread that, one day, your cover will be blown, and everyone will find out that you just got lucky?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions and have experienced feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, you may be surprised to learn that you are not alone. Impostor Syndrome is typically associated with high achievers. So, if you feel like a fraud, the chances are that you're more capable than you think. Real frauds don't worry about things like this.
Impostor syndrome refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be.
To put it simply, imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a phony—you feel as though at any moment you are going to be found out as a fraud—like you don't belong where you are, and you only got there through dumb luck. It can affect anyone no matter their social status, work background, skill level, or degree of expertise. If you are feeling uncertain and need advice, Melbourne career coach, Amelia will give you the support you need. Find out more here.
Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome include:
An inability to realistically assess your competence and skills
Attributing your success to external factors
Berating your performance
Fear that you won't live up to expectations
Overachieving
Sabotaging your own success
Self-doubt
Setting very challenging goals and feeling disappointed when you fall short
Impostor Syndrome often strikes at moments of success. Whether it be starting a new job, receiving an award or promotion, or taking on extra responsibility such as teaching others, starting your own business, or becoming a first-time parent.
Types of Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome can appear in a number of different ways. Expert, Dr Valerie Young, categorised Imposter syndrome into subgroups: the Perfectionist, the Superwoman/man, the Natural Genius, the Soloist, and the Expert. Through her personal research, Young uncovered several “competence types”—or internal rules that people who struggle with confidence attempt to follow. Young’s categories can be really helpful in identifying bad habits or patterns that may be holding you back from your full potential.
The perfectionist: Never satisfied and always feel that their work could be better. Rather than focus on their strengths, they fixate on any flaws or mistakes. Often leading to a great deal of self-pressure and high amounts of anxiety.
The superhero: Feelings of inadequacy, compel individuals to push themselves to work as hard as possible.
The expert: These individuals are always trying to learn more and are never satisfied with their level of understanding. Even though they are often highly skilled, they underrate their own expertise.
The natural genius: These individuals set excessive goals for themselves, and then feel crushed when they don't succeed on their first try.
The soloist: These people tend to be very individualistic and prefer to work alone. Self-worth often stems from their productivity, so they often reject offers of assistance. They tend to see asking for help as a sign of weakness or incompetence.
If you have identified with the above, Amelia can help you navigate Imposter syndrome and how to break through. Contact Amelia, a qualified career counsellor here.
In order to move past impostor syndrome, you need to start asking yourself some hard questions and becoming comfortable with confronting some of your ingrained beliefs.
Here are my top techniques to combat Imposter Syndrome from a Qualified Career Coach.
1. Acknowledge your feelings
Acknowledge what you're feeling, and why. Whenever you experience feelings of self-doubt or inadequacy, write them down, and be specific about why you're feeling this way. When you unpack your thoughts and feelings onto paper enables you to not only see but acknowledge how negative and untrue they can be. Something to remember, feelings are important, they are just feelings and do not necessarily reflect reality. Feeling unqualified doesn't mean you actually are!
2. Create a plan of attack
Whilst Imposter Syndrome takes long term effort, creating a plan of attack to help you deal with stressful moments will prove to be beneficial in shifting your focus. Become consciously aware of the negative conversation in your head and take action by shifting the tone or native of your thoughts. For example, instead of thinking “Wait till they find out I have no idea what I’m doing,” tell yourself “Everyone who starts something new feels off-base in the beginning. I may not know all the answers but I’m smart enough to find them out.”
Confront the feelings by distancing yourself from the emotional power of the voice. A professional careers coach can give you guidance and tools to construct a sound plan of attack. Get in touch with Amelia, a Career Counsellor, here.
3. Limit social media and use it wisely.
We know that the overuse of social media can be detrimental to our mental health and may be related to feelings of inferiority. If you try to portray an image on social media that doesn't match who you really are or that is impossible to achieve, it will only make you feel worse.
4. Be confident and reward yourself.
Literally make the choice to be confident. Raise your hand. Volunteer your expertise. When you start spiralling into self-doubt, force yourself to write down at least three things you've done well. Tip: keep writing until you feel your self-doubt wash away. Once you have completed this, reward yourself. Can be as simple as going to your favourite cafe and treating yourself to a delicious coffee and croissant. Something simple but effective.
5. Open up to people you trust
Reach out and talk to people you trust. You might be surprised by how many of your friends and colleagues can relate to how you feel. Listen to the people you respect in your life and let them show you how your fears are unfounded. You can also lean on professional career coaches for support and as someone you can trust.
Failing, losing and being wrong on occasion is all part of life. Don’t let it define you.
Learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Amelia McDermott is a Career Coach and Coaching Psychologist, based on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. With nearly 20 years of training and experience working as a psychologist, Amelia has a strong understanding of how to uncover what makes people tick, and how to help people find an authentic career that aligns with their unique talents and values. If you’re looking for Career Advice or Career Counselling, look no further than Uplift Coaching and enjoy a consultation with Amelia to see if a Career Coach is right for you. Book a consultation here.