Imposter Syndrome: The voice telling you you’re not good enough
We’ve all had this happen to us at some point in our lives. We’ve achieved something we should be proud of; whether that’s landing a new job, setting a new personal best or gaining a promotion at work.
But all you can think about is… I don’t deserve this… I’m not good enough at this job… The work I’ve done isn’t enough… Why have they hired me?
This self-doubt, lack of confidence and disappointment you feel is known as imposter syndrome. It’s a widespread phenomenon that impacts 58% of all employees. It doesn’t discriminate, the voice in your head will affect anyone and everyone, no matter your race, gender, sexuality or religion.
Individuals will feel like they aren’t smart enough or good enough to be in their current position. They feel like they’re a fraud and undeserving of everything they’ve worked for and achieved.
A common misconception is that high achievers don’t experience imposter syndrome. It is untrue, when people who have achieved so much, get asked. But how can you experience imposter syndrome? You’ve done so well in your career. All this does is invalidates their feelings and makes them feel like their opinion can’t be shared.
Symptoms of Imposter Syndrome:
- An inability to realistically assess your ability and skills
- Downplaying your performances
- Anxiety or worry over fearing you won’t live up to expectations
- Self-doubt
- Sabotaging own success
- Working too hard
- Comparing your achievements to others
- Becoming a people pleaser
- Lacking confidence
If you experience many of these feelings then you may be a sufferer of imposter syndrome. There are 5 different types of imposter syndrome, each ‘imposter’ will fit into one of these 5 categories
The 5 Types of Imposter Syndrome:
1. Natural Genius
They struggle with perfectionism by setting out their goals too high on their first attempt. They will feel guilty and shameful if they cannot easily complete a task or goal on their first try.
2. The Soloist
The soloist is a person that has extreme difficulties asking others for help. They feel like they must prove their own worth through their productivity. They also feel like asking others for help will make people think worse of them
3. The Expert
This represents someone that never feels good enough, not matter how much knowledge they gain. They may also feel less experienced than their colleagues.
4. The Perfectionist
The perfectionist represents a person that strives to constantly do their best, no matter the cost to their mental health. They will often set very high standards for themselves that they may not be able to achieve.
5. The superhero
They display someone who struggles with work addiction. They will feel inadequate relative to colleagues, but then push themselves as hard as possible, regardless of the consequences to their health.
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Imposter Syndrome is very tiring and can wear you down, it can also lead to anxiety and depression if not treated at all. The voice will continue to whisper into your ear for as long as takes until your mind gives in and gives up on that new job… that new promotion.
It’s all well and good us understanding imposter syndrome. But if we don’t know how to defeat it, how are we going to overcome it?
How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome:
- Set clear and realistic goals
- Talk about your feelings to try and understand why you feel like this
- Taking one day at a time
- Stop comparing yourself to others when possible
- Celebrate your successes
- Be kind to yourself
The most important thing to understand is you’re not alone, with 3 in 5 workers suffering from imposter syndrome at some point in their career.
If you would like some more support with this, then check out the support from Mind or check out our support page for more assistance.
