Imposter Syndrome - Mind Trap

Are you worth your monthly paycheck? Do you believe you are the right person to lead this team forward? Is this machine maintenance that you do really so hard that it requires a full-time staffer? The workplace can be an intellectual battlefield at times. Despite reaching success you may find yourself doubting yourself. Thinking you will be exposed as a fraud. Thinking you are nothing more than a one-trick pony. Well, neither is probably going to happen, it’s a phenomenon called the imposter syndrome.

What is the imposter Syndrome?

The imposter syndrom is this nagging feeling where you feel like you are about to be exposed as a fraud. For example you are afraid that people will question your intelligence at work. Or you think your success at the workplace is down to a “simple trick”, anyone can and probably will figure out sooner rather than later. Despite having a degree and many years of experience you may think that anyone can do what you do, if they would just put their mind to it for a couple of weeks.

What is unqiue about the imposter syndrome is that outside evidence often speaks to the contrary. It’s actually this succes that is creating insecurities in our mind.

The term impostor phenomenon was first seen in an article titled "The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention" by Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Published in the 80s, the imposter syndrome was thought to be mostly present in high achieving women. This was later corrected as the symptoms appear gender neutral.

Imposter syndrome is found to be most common among people who downplay their own performance, account success towards outside factors such as luck, or believe they need to work harder to achieve a similar success.

While it may seem harmless, imposter syndrome can lead to increased risks for burnout, lower performance at your job and less satisfaction at the workplace.

How can you solve this mind trap?

Researchers have found that empowering your sense of belonging will help counteract the effects of imposter syndrome. It may help to keep a list of achievements from the past that have rewarded you the success you enjoy today. These achievements can be used as proof to ground feelings of anxiety.

Also consider to simply embrace your fears and move on. There will always be factors that are outside our control. By grinding gears on it, we try to control the uncontrollable and this will only increase our anxiety.

If anything, try to enjoy your much deserved success! If you are facing symptoms of the imposter syndrome you have achieved something you don’t want to lose. You have probably worked hard for it too, and it’s not down to luck or a simple trick. If you look back on it you will probably find that your perseverance and wit, especially during the tough times, have rewarded you with where you are now. And you deserve every second of it.