Have you
ever gone through a feeling of inadequacy despite being extremely successful in
your line of work or through the course of your life? Do you sometimes wonder
what that feeling is and why it constantly keeps popping up? Well to answer
your questions, you might be going through what is called imposter syndrome.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter
syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist
despite evident success.
What are the symptoms?
The
so-called ‘imposter’ suffers from chronic self-doubt along with the feeling of
being an intellectual fraud. This is despite clear real-time evidence that
proves the complete opposite. The feeling of being a ‘fake’ overrides any
feeling of success and competence.
Who does it happen to?
Believe it
or not, it happens to the most successful individuals who suffer from imposter
syndrome. Its high achieving and highly successful individuals who suffer from
this so don’t confuse it with a lack of self-esteem, or self-confidence. It has
recently been linked with perfectionism.
Why does it happen?
Many
studies have linked it with childhood pressure and up brining. Normally, when a
parent may have assigned certain designated roles to children, where one might
be the intellectual one while the other will be the sensitive one.
Another
theory states that some children are imbibed with the message of superiority.
The child is taught that he or she is made to feel as though she is superior to
others and perfect.
Studies
also prove that women are more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome than
men. This is due to the naturally prevalent gender discrepancies present in a
workspace. Women are already underrepresented in and therefore when they reach
out to achieve a high post or position, questions of ‘am I really good enough’
tend to arise. Despite circumstances showing you otherwise, women tend to feel
as though someone else could have done a better job than them. Corporate culture has proven to have
so-called ‘stacked odds’ and as there are not enough female role models,
especially in a marginalized community, imposter syndrome can begin to creep
in.
How to cope with imposter syndrome:
• Awareness-
Recognise the feelings as they begin to creep in. If you’re aware of the feelings of being an imposter, and you can
track your thoughts, slowly you will be able to stop them.
• Rewrite
your thought process- Instead of telling yourself that you are going to
find out or that you don’t deserve success, tell yourself that as the
circumstances change, so will you. Tell yourself that you will find your path
to success, and it's normal not to know everything.
• Talk
about your feelings- You never know who might relate to your own thought
process. If you talk to someone about how you are feeling they might be able to
shed light on something you may not have realized.
• Look
at the context- There are so many situations where most people don’t feel
that they did their best or gave something 100%. Feeling our of your depth and
moments of self-doubt is normal. So instead tell yourself, just because I feel
useless doesn’t mean that I am.
• Use
failure as a teaching opportunity- Find the teachings and lessons in every
failed situation for it can help you out in the next one.
• Be
kind to yourself- Remember, human beings are not perfect. Everyone is
entitled to their own fair share and set of mistakes.
• Reward
yourself- Whenever you feel yourself crossing a barrier, remember to treat
yourself for getting across it.
There will
be a moment when we all experience defeat. And failure is a natural part of
life. We need to stop comparing our own success with that of another. You must
remember you have worked to get where you are, so you should enjoy the fruits
of your labor!
Tags:
mental health, imposter syndrome, women, women health, illnesses, work place
problems.
Caption:
Imposter syndrome can easily be recognized and tackled, all you need to do is
know how!
Author:
Sukanya Mohanty
Image source: Unsplash.com