Imposter Syndrome: 5 Useful Ways To Overcome Lingering Doubt

Hello T.A & Co. community! Hope you are having a great week so far. I know that we all feel doubt at times. Usually to ourselves and our skills as well as abilities. But some doubt is normal of a person. At some point though, that doubt becomes to be a bit too much than expected. This is Imposter Syndrome, or in other words self-doubt. I think when you are ambitious and driven, which I know you are, it’s easy to fall in to that. I am definitely a victim to that on a more regular basis than I would like. Even though, I still find ways to help keep myself grounded and not completely fall in to self-doubt. So how about I share 5 useful ways to overcome lingering doubt.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter Syndrome is the internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. Having you be your own hater in your head. Usually, with Imposter Syndrome it can feel like you’re own worst critic and self-sabotaging your own success. It has not been categorized as an official mental illness. This phenomenon is experienced equally by men and women and frequently coexists with depression and anxiety. A lot of situations can trigger this feeling. Differing in your peers (gender, race, age, etc.) can make you feel like a fraud. And these emotions can be amplified when being compared to or evaluated.

Some Characteristics of Imposter Syndrome:

Overachieving
Sabotaging your own success
Self-doubt
Berating your performance/efforts despite the outcome
Inability to realistically assess your own competence & skills
Fear you won’t live up to expectations

1. Use Social Media Moderately

Social media is where everyone can manipulate what you see from their lives. It’s true when people say that social media is fake. Influencers & Content Creators are able to only show the highs of their life. You don’t know people fully. Or what advantages they have that you don’t. But that doesn’t mean that your own success is any less. Over the course of this year I’ve been tryin to lessen my own social media consumption. Even though I do use it, it’s good to have that separate time away from it. Comparison is never a good thing to have. And with social media it can amplify your feelings of self-doubt. Especially for Black women who have to see their peers who may just get a better advantage all based on their skin color. Set times when you can scroll on social media or just take a full detox.

2. Learn to be kind to yourself

We are our own worst critic. Because we know ourselves so well, we judge who we are even harsher. Instead of seeking validation from yourself, you seek it from someone else. But here’s the kicker with Imposter Syndrome. Once you put all your validation on an outside/external source, if that source goes away so does your self-worth. Your confidence diminishes. A good way to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to learn to be kind to yourself. Don’t be so harsh on your mistakes. Seek confidence & self-worth from your own words and not others. Not saying that it’s bad to take compliments. Just know that your self-worth comes from within. A bit cheesy to say ,but its true.

3. Reward yourself

I think we don’t give ourselves enough credit. I know that I don’t. Always belittling my own successes. Never letting myself celebrate even the little wins. So, I’ve been starting to try to reward myself. No matter what the milestone is , you need to give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back. Go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant. Tell your close friends and go out to drink. Life is too short to wait for the “big goal” to be completed. If you hit a new commission count, got a small raise, or even got an interview by a small blog. Reward yourself & celebrate it.

4. Challenge your doubts

“I’m not good enough for this position.” “Maybe I don’t have the best skills for this.” “Am I even the best person for this opportunity?” “Why would anyone want to listen to what I have to say?”

All doubts that you’ve probably have said to yourself. The biggest characteristic to Imposter Syndrome is self-doubt. Putting yourself down before you even tried to succeed. Challenge those thoughts. Go on and question those doubts. Where is this self-doubt coming from? Are these thoughts even rational to the reality of the situation. Don’t self-sabotage your future based on a fear of failing. How can you fail when you haven’t even tried to succeed? A simple question to ask yourself.

5. Let go of your inner perfectionist

Nothing is going to be fully perfect. We just have to accept that. They say practice makes perfect ,but that negates room for growth. The world is ever growing and ever evolving. And that goes for us as well. Imposter Syndrome is for the overachievers and perfectionist. In order to overcome this self-doubt , you need to let go of your inner perfectionist. Not everything is in our control. We can’t have everything be how our vision is. That’s the beauty of life. The unpredictability of it all. It’s okay for things to not go as planned. Sometimes the best things in life come from the unplanned.

THANK YOU FOR READING !

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