Overcome imposter syndrome and its impact on your professional life successfully

Imposter syndrome can make you question your achievements and doubt who you are as a person. It’s a psychological condition that can leave you unsure of your place in life. These doubts and fears can strike at any point in someone’s life, and so it can be tricky to overcome imposter syndrome.

For professionals, imposter syndrome can affect their productivity and self-confidence. They begin to feel that they haven’t earned their role within the company. When someone experiences this syndrome, they are fearful of someone exposing them for being ‘fake’.

According to a review in 2020, imposter syndrome often co-occurs alongside depression and anxiety. Your experiences with it may only last a few weeks. However, in others, it can be a long-term condition. That said, you don’t have to suffer the ill effects of the condition in silence. While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not recognise it as an official disorder, there are still steps you can take to overcome imposter syndrome.

Effects of the condition

Both men and women struggle with imposter syndrome. It can affect you whether you are just starting out in the professional world, or whether you are a high performing professional with years of experience. Let’s take a more in-depth look at how imposter syndrome can affect you.

• Self-doubt and lack of self-esteem. When you are dealing with imposter syndrome, your confidence begins to decrease. You question whether you have ‘earned’ your achievements, and that self-doubt leads you to reject praise. You also begin to downplay any personal milestones or achievements and allow others to take credit for your successes.
• Stagnation at work. Yet another area that imposter syndrome affects is your career growth. As you are unsure and doubtful of your achievements and capability, you cease pushing yourself at work. You feel stuck in your position and stop expecting or requesting a promotion or pay rise. With constant fears of being exposed as a fraud, it is easier to keep your head down and deflect attention rather than try to advance your career.
• Prevents you from demonstrating leadership. Leadership roles are difficult to manage when you have imposter syndrome. When you are in a vulnerable position and always dealing with self-doubt, it is difficult to be in a position where you are more visible. Taking unpopular and hard decisions will simply add to your existing fears that you are merely pretending to be good at your job.
• Affects your creativity. Innovation and creativity also suffer due to imposter syndrome. When you are dismissing your own talents, it is easier to feel that everyone else have already come up with your ideas.
• Relcutance to takke risks. The fear of failure prevents you from taking any risks.
• Affects your mental health. Imposter syndrome can also lead to stress and feelings of isolation. This, in turn, can then add to your depression or anxiety.

Ways to overcome imposter syndrome

It is possible to overcome imposter syndrome with time, dedication and self-care. Most of us have the odd day where we question why anyone should take us seriously. However, it is not pleasant to experience such self-doubts all the time. A sense of self-doubt can, of course, encourage us to improve. Yet, always questioning and second-guessing yourself is not only frustrating. It can affect your personal life as well.

Create realistic career goals

For whatever reason, you feel that you are not enough. Instead of simply suffering through this feeling of inadequacy, try to overcome imposter syndrome through realistic targets you can achieve. While these goals are a good way to stay productive, they can also help to boost your confidence. As you see yourself continuing to reach these goals, your self-doubts will begin to take a hit.

For that to happen, however, it is important to set realistic goals. Don’t try to push yourself and try to complete lofty goals. It can be something as simple as getting to work on time. And then completing a task within the deadline. As you see yourself routinely hitting these goals, you will begin to feel more positively about yourself. It can also show you that you are capable of doing your job well.

Open up to someone you trust

Fear of everyone discovering that you are a fraud prevents people from talking about it when they suffer from imposter syndrome. However, talking about your concerns can be a huge weight off your shoulders. Reach out to someone you trust, whether it’s a colleague, friend or family member. They will be biased towards you. But, they will still have more positive and constructive criticism than the constant doubts your brain comes up with. Either way, an outsider’s perspective will help you to realise and recognise your worth.

At the same time, look into the possibility of contacting a mental health professional. While someone you know will be honest, a professional will assist you to resolve underlying causes.

Be aware of your negative thought patterns

The self-doubts that plague you are a product of your mind. These negative thinking patterns are harmful and tend to have a life of their own. Before that happens, you need to take control of your thought patterns, as hard as that is. Positive mantras or words of affirmations are often helpful to give you a positive boost and dispel these negative thoughts. You can also look into cognitive behavioural therapy in order to deal with such negativity within your mind.

Foster a sense of belonging

When you are the odd one out looking in at a group of closely-knit people, it is easy to feel like an imposter. Minorities such as women, persons of colour, people with a disability often have to deal with imposter syndrome due to this. When you don’t have someone who does not look, sound, think or act like you, it is easy to feel like you will never belong. You also feel like you are representing an entire group of people, which brings in added pressure to succeed.