How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Even as an adult, I love costumes, dressing up, and getting to pretend to be something or someone else for a night. It is the one day a year that it is perfectly acceptable to dress up or wear a mask. But what about the other 364 days? If you feel like you are pretending to be someone or something else the rest of the year, it isn’t so fun anymore.
Last month, I started at Reset as a clinical intern. I am an Advanced Standing student and MSW Candidate at Wayne State University with over a year and a half of experience working in the mental health field, providing grief support to individuals and groups who have lost a loved one. I have planned and launched support groups, written and given presentations to organizations and the community on grief and mental health, and spoken on panels about grief and loss. So why is it, on my first day, that I felt like I was putting on a costume and pretending to be qualified for this internship? I felt like I was going to start at Reset and eventually they would find out I wasn’t qualified, I didn’t belong, and the jig would be up. If you have ever felt like this, you are not alone! This feeling is known as imposter syndrome.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Whether this feeling is or isn’t familiar to you, you may be wondering what exactly imposter syndrome is. Imposter syndrome is characterized by feelings of self-doubt, often related to your accomplishments at work. Basically, you feel like you are just pretending to know what you are doing, and that you have somehow falsely convinced everyone around you that you are good at what you do. You might feel like you have only been successful due to luck and you might feel afraid that people are going to find out. This might lead to feeling like you need to be a perfectionist or that you need to sacrifice your own well-being to get more or better work done. This can definitely put us on the road to burnout. I think something else that is important to note is that doing well or being successful at something does nothing to change your beliefs when you experience imposter syndrome. You might relate to one of the 5 types of imposter syndrome from VeryWellMind:
The perfectionist: Perfectionists are never satisfied and always feel that their work could be better. Rather than focus on their strengths, they tend to fixate on any flaws or mistakes. This often leads to a great deal of self-pressure and high amounts of anxiety.
The superhero: Because these individuals feel inadequate, they feel compelled 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 excessively lofty 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.
The History of Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome was initially known as the imposter phenomenon. This phenomenon was first introduced by Dr. Pauline R. Clance in 1985 with her book, The Imposter Phenomenon: Overcoming the Fear that Haunts Your Success. Dr. Pauline R. Clance also published the first scale to measure imposter syndrome. It is called the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale(CIP) and measure imposter syndrome across six different dimensions:
The impostor cycle
The need to be special or the best
Characteristics of superman or superwoman
Fear of failure
Denial of ability or discounting praise
Feeling fear and guilt about success
Although this scale measures imposter syndrome, there is not a clinical diagnosis for this phenomenon at this time. Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes furthered the understanding of the imposter phenomenon in 1978 in their scholarly article, The Impostor Phenomenon in High-Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention. This included interviews of high-achieving women who felt that their success came from luck or was undeserved. The initial understanding of imposter syndrome was that it affected high-achieving women.
Who Experiences Imposter Syndrome?
Contrary to the interviews included in Dr. Clance and Dr. Imes’ book, imposter syndrome is not exclusive to high achieving women, although it is common in this subset of individuals. All genders can experience imposter syndrome. It also presents equally across different professions, races, and ethnic groups. People who identify as perfectionists may be more likely to experience imposter syndrome. Some evidence has shown that the presentation of imposter syndrome decreases with age.
What Causes Imposter Syndrome?
There are certain things that can cause imposter syndrome. One thing that could predispose you to these feelings is coming from a family that highly values achievement. Spoiler Alert: that’s me! Parents that flip between praise and criticism may also lead to kids that become adults with imposter syndrome. There also may be an overlap of people who have social anxiety and those that experience imposter syndrome. Entering a new role can also trigger feelings of imposter syndrome. This could be starting at a new college or university or a new job, like me at Reset.
Imposter Syndrome During the Pandemic
Both the stress of the pandemic itself and the lack of connection we have endured throughout has left many of us susceptible to a number of mental health challenges. One of which is imposter syndrome. Some of us have become full-time remote workers and some of our jobs have vanished altogether. We have been facing new challenges, a high-stakes situation, and many of us have found ourselves outside of our comfort zone throughout the pandemic. This leads to increased pressure for us to perform well under these circumstances, which can then trigger imposter feelings. If you have left the office and begun working remotely, you may not be receiving as much praise and support from your fellow coworkers and leaders since you are not together in person. It is normal to feel isolated from your team during these circumstances. Dr. Sahar Yousef, a cognitive neuroscientist at UC Berkeley says,
“With fewer opportunities to connect and celebrate success, remote work is intensifying impostor syndrome. Organizations should ensure that work is still being recognized and championed in remote environments on a daily basis, and that new hires have support structures in place to instill confidence.”
If you have suddenly begun to experience imposter syndrome during the pandemic, remember that this is normal and you are not alone in feeling like this. And if you are a manager or leader at your workplace, do what you can to continue to recognize the work of your employees whether or not you are in a remote or in-person environment.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
So, what’s the good news? The good news is that there is so much we can do to cope with and overcome imposter syndrome!
Normalize Your Feelings
Remember that it is normal to feel imposter feelings, especially when beginning something new or during the pandemic.
Remember: Feelings are not Facts
While you may feel like you are an imposter, it is important to remember your feelings are not facts. They are just feelings. Work to accept that you are having these feelings so you can work towards challenging them.
Change Your Negative Self-Talk
The way that we talk to ourselves is important. Work to identify and replace negative self-talk with positive or more balanced self-talk.
Track Your Success
Celebrate and keep track of your successes and accomplishments. Write them down so that you can look back at them when imposter feelings arise.
Stay Grounded
Take a deep breath. When you are feeling overwhelmed by imposter feelings, try a breath or mindfulness exercise to ground yourself and see your situation in context.
How am I personally working to overcome imposter syndrome? Especially as the seasons are changing, I am reminding myself that what I am actually feeling is transition. I am embracing the changes in my life as I continue my education and build experience working with clients. When we feel like an imposter, we can accept that, embrace it, and remember that this is actually a sign that we are growing and changing. Like most things, overcoming imposter syndrome is a practice. It is something that we can continue to work towards each day, in each mindful thought we have about ourselves, and in each mindful breath we take.
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