By Christianne MacNeil
Perhaps you’ve just started university or a new job, been recently promoted, or taken on a new role. It’s normal to experience self-doubt and jitters in these situations. A certain amount of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety are a part of everyone’s journey toward achievement. However, these feelings can sometimes be amplified and become problems.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome, also known as imposter phenomenon or imposterism is not diagnosable, it is a common human experience. It is described as the nagging feeling that your successes are a fluke, as if you got lucky or were in the right place at the right time, even if you deserved them. Deep down, you might feel like you’ve tricked everyone into thinking you’re smarter, more competent or more talented than you really are, and you’re constantly worried about being “found out.” These feelings can pop up at work, in school, and even in your personal life. When you’re dealing with it, it’s hard to own your accomplishments. You might not give yourself credit for your skills or hard work, and you might even dread new challenges, convinced you won’t be able to pull them off again.
People with imposter syndrome often get stuck in what’s called the “imposter cycle.” This could mean you over-prepare for everything because you’re terrified of failing, or, the opposite, you might procrastinate because you’re scared to even start! You might also turn into a “superhero,” taking on way too much to prove your worth, or become a perfectionist, where nothing less than flawless is good enough. A big part of this cycle is always downplaying your skills and being terrified of failing. And when things go wrong, you take it personally, but when you succeed, you just brush it off as luck.
When impostor feelings take over, they can subtly change your behaviour. You might miss out on opportunities, sabotage future success, or undervalue your own accomplishments. Feeling like an imposter can stop you from sharing great ideas or applying for jobs and programs where you’d shine. Imposter syndrome makes it impossible to consistently meet the high standards you set for yourself, regardless of how smart, talented, or skilled you are.
While anyone can experience imposter syndrome, it’s especially common among high-achievers. Even those who seem confident, like CEOs or award winners, can be secretly battling these feelings of inadequacy. And while it affects everyone, research shows it impacts women and other marginalized groups harder, due to societal pressures and biases.
What can you do about it?
One of the first steps to growing past imposter syndrome is to understand it and acknowledge it. From there, you can start building strategies to cope and develop a more realistic and kind view of yourself. Reducing feelings of imposterism can lead to an increase and improvement in career, social and school engagement.
An option for combating imposter syndrome is self-compassion. Self-compassion is about fostering mindfulness and self-kindness to counter the tendency to be overly critical of oneself. Developing self-compassion can offset the emotions associated with imposterism, like self-doubt, poor self-worth, guilt, and shame, reducing self-imposed pressures. What self-compassion tells us is when automatic, self-destructive thoughts or behaviours emerge, try to approach them with understanding and replace them with compassionate and forgiving ones. Remind yourself that making mistakes is part of life and your personal growth. A nurturing and less critical mentality can bring about self-acceptance and encourage you to appreciate the person you are right now.
If your inner critic is overwhelming you, therapy can provide insight into the roots of these thoughts and offer management strategies. Contact One Tree at contact@onetreepsyhological.ca or 780-886-5471 to match you with a therapist experienced in this area. They can guide you in choosing the best approach tailored to your unique needs and strengths.