How to beat impostor syndrome: 7 practical tips

What is known today as impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon (despite its name, it falls short of being a mental illness) that leads to people to be unable to assume their successes as part of their own merit, coming to believe that they enjoy a status that they do not deserve and that it is due to fraud. Because of this, these people develop problems both in their relationships and in relation to their self-esteem and their work projects.

But… How to beat impostor syndrome? In this article we will talk about it.

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Main characteristics of impostor syndrome

These are the ways in which impostor syndrome makes us feel bad when relating to other people in a work context.

1. It makes us feel like we have something to hide

Seeing ourselves as imposters, we assume that we are where we are because they also do not know something relevant about us ourselves, so we feel that "the truth" can come out at any moment and we must try not to reveal that information carelessly.

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2. Use our success against us

On the other hand, the impostor syndrome means that, even if our employment situation improves (for example, if we are cared for in the company), we see this as a further threat, a sign that the lie on which our career has supposedly been built continues to complicate our situation with virtually no notice. let's search. Due, we feel more pressured and we assume that we will not be able to adapt to the new responsibilities, something that can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

3. It leads us to always think about our flaws

Due to this dynamic of trying to hide the alleged fraud, the person obsessively thinks about the defects, to try to anticipate situations in which they would be evidenced. That's why many people find it difficult to try to overcome impostor syndrome.

4. It leads us to value ourselves in competitive terms

The impostor syndrome causes our self-esteem and self-concept to form through a competitive perspective, based on constant comparison with others. This generates psychological exhaustion associated with stress.

• Related article: "Self-concept: what is it and how is it formed?"

5. It makes us focus on the short term and try to overcompensate

The person with impostor syndrome does not believe that her employment situation is stable, so she will not develop ambitious long-term projects term and will settle for trying to delay the moment in which his lack of skills and competences are revealed in full view of all.

Tips to overcome impostor syndrome

If you notice that the impostor syndrome is affecting you too much on a day-to-day basis, either because of how bad it makes you feel or because of the problems it causes you in the workplace, you should know that The best way to overcome it is to go to psychological therapy; After all, having personalized psychological assistance offered by a professional is something that makes a difference. However, these general tips that you will find here can also be useful as long as you are able to adapt them to your particular case.

1. Talk to others about your limits

Remember that part of what makes a good professional a good professional is that is able to assertively communicate what their limitations are, so that teamwork and task assignment make sense and are sustainable. Therefore, it assumes that it is normal for everyone to be able to talk about which are those areas in which they do not perform adequately and need help or delegate tasks.

2. Set specific goals

If your goals are specific, it will take some mental effort to make excuses to attribute that progress to luck. On the other hand, if these goals remain in the field of abstract ideas, it will not cost you any effort and therefore you will continue without being able to assess your achievements.

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3. Notice the failures of the people you admire

Nobody is perfect, and looking at the imperfections of those figures that you have been idealizing will help you stop applying reverse logic to the way you see yourself.

4. Compare yourself primarily to your past achievements

If you get used to comparing your "I" of the present with your "I" of the past, it will be easier that you leave behind that hyper-competitive mentality and that you have a more realistic notion of your achievements. Yes, it's true that impostor syndrome makes us attribute our successes to luck, but that doesn't change the fact that the same logic could apply to what we achieved months or years ago, so that you will continue to have a criterion with which to estimate your progress and learning.

5. Try to see your mistakes as learning material

If you get used to seeing your failures as possible material to learn from, you will also stop obsessing over them and move on more easily; in fact, you will find the task of detecting flaws in your way of proceeding exhilarating.

6. Reward yourself on special occasions

Difference between the most mundane and the most ambitious goals, so that when you achieve any of the latter, you have a reason to celebrate. In this way you will have a notion of opening and closing professional cycles, something useful to reinforce self-esteem and overcome the impostor syndrome.

7. Talk to someone about how you feel

Expressing our feelings of anguish and guilt is a good way to face them and to stop attributing them more importance than they have. Besides, It will help you organize your ideas about it..

Do you want to have professional psychological assistance?

If you are interested in having the support of a Psychology professional to help you face and overcome the impostor syndrome, contact me.

Am Thomas Saint Cecilia, psychologist specializing in the cognitive-behavioral intervention model; I serve adults and adolescents in person or online by video call.