by Shayndel Jim, Head Writer Imposter syndrome is a term that many of us are very familiar with. It gets tossed around frequently, especially in university settings. Simply put, imposter syndrome is when someone doubts their abilities and agonizes over not feeling like they deserve to be where they are. People with imposter syndrome often feel like they are not capable, and as the name suggests, they feel like an imposter or a fraud. It can lead to extreme anxiety and self-sabotaging behaviours to rid the person of the cognitive dissonance they are feeling. Some people are also far more prone to imposter syndrome than others, such as those who were raised in a household that praised them for achievements which led to them associating their self-worth with accolades. As children, this is somewhat easy to handle because achievements are often praised - children are constantly reaching new milestones. But as they move into adulthood, those structured milestones coupled with praise fade away and they tend to have somewhat of a quarter-life crisis. While the new framework that comes with adulthood is to an extent unavoidable, there are still many ways to combat imposter syndrome: Tips for Combatting Imposter Syndrome
Opening up about your feelings. By acknowledging your feelings, you are can begin to deal with them and combat imposter syndrome. By sharing these feelings with others about what you are going through, it can help those around you keep you grounded as well. They can provide the positive affirmations and validation most people with imposter syndrome crave, but in a healthy and non-self-sabotaging way. Being transparent about feeling like an imposter can help you be reminded that sometimes when you get these feelings of inadequacy, it is not you or anyone else talking, but the imposter syndrome itself. Reframing your thinking. By not thinking like an imposter, you will no longer feel like one. By recognizing when you feel like an imposter and are slipping into a negative thought process, you can begin to rewire your thinking. In moments where you begin to doubt yourself, saying positive affirmations can remind you that you do in fact belong and that you worked hard to get to where you are. Separating fact from fiction. Remembering that often what you feel about yourself is not necessarily true can help dispel the fraudulent feelings. One way that helps me is that I imagine what I would say if someone I loved was telling me they felt this way. Would I tell them they did not deserve what they have achieved or are not capable of being successful? Of course not! So what makes me any different? Creating a new relationship with failure and achievement. As aforementioned, imposter syndrome is most common in people who associate self-worth with accolades. By creating a new relationship and understanding that failure and mistakes are not necessarily negative, but rather just another opportunity to try again and gain new knowledge, as well as that success is not equivalent to self-worth, then you can combat and prevent imposter syndrome. You have just as much the right as the person beside you to make a mistake, so don’t be so hard on yourself when you need to ask for help.
Redefining your meaning of success. Success is a relative term, so by redefining what it means to you, you can reduce the cognitive dissonance being experienced. By creating realistic expectations and goals, success feels more attainable and the feeling of reaching for something out of grasp goes away. Don’t minimize your achievements. This is similar to positive affirmations and separating fact from fiction, but still very important to be acknowledged separately. People with imposter syndrome often forget just how amazing they really are and what they have achieved. By making a conscious effort not to undermine your expertise, as well as not devaluing your worth and achievements, you can keep yourself in a positive mindset and remind yourself that you do belong and are capable. Be gentle with yourself. This is my last tip and the most important one in my opinion. Remember that you are human and that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. You worked hard to get to where you are and it was your efforts that brought you here, not you doing anything else. You deserve everything good that happens to you, so be gentle with yourself when these thoughts and feelings of being a fraud and inadequate crop up. You’ve got this!!! Shayndel is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph and is a Head Writer for GetPsyched. Do YOU have mental health or wellness tips you'd like to share with Psychology students? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us by email so we can showcase your ideas! Edited by Gabby Mazza. References
Abrams, A. (2018). Yes, Impostor Syndrome is real: Here's how to deal with it. Time. https://time.com/5312483/how-to-deal-with-impostor-syndrome/. Feenstra, S., Begeny, C. T., Ryan, M. K., Rink, F. A., Stoker, J. I., & Jordan, J. (2020). Contextualizing the Impostor "Syndrome". Frontiers in psychology, 11, 575024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575024 Kelly, J. (2020). How to fight back against Impostor syndrome. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/08/12/how-to-fight-back-against-the-impostor-syndrome-phenomenon/?sh=3b7ca46c427f. Weir, K. (n.d.). Feel like a fraud? American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2013/11/fraud.
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