Imposter Syndrome: Feeling as if you don’t belong
This post on Imposter Syndrome was written by Janeyshka Ortiz-Flores, M.S.
Imposter syndrome involves feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, level of experience, and previous accomplishments. As a result, you put unnecessary pressure on yourself to work harder in order to:
- Keep others from recognizing your shortcomings or failures.
- Become worthy of roles you believe you don’t deserve.
- Make up for what you consider your lack of intelligence.
- Ease feelings of guilt over “tricking” people.
There are five different types of Imposter Syndrome:
- Perfectionist: This person sets unrealistic goals and struggles with self-doubt when you don’t reach them.
- The Superhero: These people always try to work harder than everyone else to cover up feeling like a fraud among their ‘real deal’ teammates.
- The Natural Genius: This type is used to learning new skills with little effort. Experiencing any kind of difficulty leads them towards feeling like a fraud.
- The Soloist: This type of imposter syndrome equates receiving help to failure and being inadequate. Therefore, not getting there on their own leads to questioning their own abilities.
- The Expert: Lastly, this type believes they should have all the answers. If they can’t find an answer, they begin to feel like a fraud.
Now that we know the types of Imposter Syndrome, here are some ways to fight it:
- CELEBRATE WINS and reframe failures as “lessons learned”.
- CULTIVATE SELF-COMPASSION by reminding yourself that your accomplishments are not tied to your value.
- UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Gaps in achievements are normal. Focus on your strengths, skills and interests.
- STOP COMPARING YOURSELF to others! Although it’s human nature, pay attention to moments when you are comparing yourself to others. Remember, everyone does things at their own pace!
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