Hi, my name’s Sarah and I suffer from impostor syndrome.
If you’re not familiar with impostor syndrome, it’s a term used to describe when someone doubts their abilities/accomplishments and fears being exposed as a fraud despite external evidence to the contrary.
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For me, impostor syndrome makes me doubt myself and makes me feel insecure. I feel it most when people praise me for my work (surely they got the wrong person!), refer me (are you sure you want to recommend me?) or when I’m doing something that’s outside of my comfort zone. It can be a lot to keep in check! It’s something I’ve grappled with all of my adult work-life, and, having just returned to my business after 13 months of parental leave (in the midst of a global pandemic), I’m feeling it big time.
Ironically, I often coach people about how to manage their feelings of being an impostor through my 1:1 coaching programs. In fact, this very blog was inspired by someone who asked me to provide some tips on how to manage impostor syndrome. It’s all very meta!
When I’m feeling impostor-y, here’s the two-step approach I use:
1. I get curious about how I’m feeling and counter every irrational thought with data and evidence:
Why am I feeling like this?
Remember the time I did X? What results did I achieve?
Remember the time I studied Y?
Remember the time I went through Z?
Remember everything I learned when A happened?
This is an important first step as it prompts me to self-reflect and consider things objectively. Once I’ve got some evidence to dispute the impostor-y thoughts, I remind myself that:
I know what I’m doing
I am experienced
I have valuable things to share
I believe in myself
I can and will do this
I always advocate internal validation over external first, but if this step doesn’t work, I move onto step two for extra reinforcement.
2. I seek out social proof for reassurance. Questions I think about:
What have my clients said about my work?
What do my peers say about me?
What do my loved ones say about me?
Sometimes I’ll ask someone I trust for some feedback and perspective.
It takes some practice, but managing impostor syndrome is possible.
