Imposter syndrome, also called perceived fraudulence, involves feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments.

I dealt with imposter syndrome for years. Even as an accomplished designer I still experienced times when I feel like a fraud. Here are some tips on how I have overcome this.

To counter these feelings, you might end up working harder and holding yourself to ever higher standards. This pressure can eventually take a toll on your emotional well-being and your performance.

Imposter feelings represent a conflict between your own self-perception and the way others perceive you. Even as others praise your talents, you write off your successes to timing and a bit of luck. You don’t believe you earned them on your own merits and you fear others will eventually realize the same thing. Over time, this can fuel a cycle of anxiety, depression, and guilt.

Leading imposter syndrome researcher Dr. Valerie Young describes in her 2011 book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women. These competence types, as she calls them, reflect your internal beliefs around what competency means to you.

You focus primarily on how you do things, often to the point where you demand perfection of yourself in every aspect of life. Yet, since perfection isn’t always a realistic goal, you can’t meet these standards. Instead of acknowledging the hard work you’ve put in after completing a task, you might criticize yourself for small mistakes and feel ashamed of your “failure.”

You’ve spent your whole life picking up new skills with little effort and believe you should understand new material and processes right away. Your belief that competent people can handle anything with little difficulty leads you to feel like a fraud when you have a hard time. If something doesn’t come easily to you, or you fail to succeed on your first try, you might feel ashamed and embarrassed and give up.

You believe you should be able;e to handle everything solo. If you can’t achieve success independently, you consider yourself unworthy. Asking someone for help, or accepting support when it’s offered, doesn’t just mean failing your own high standards. It also means admitting your inadequacies and showing yourself as a failure.

Before you can consider your work a success, you want to learn everything there is to know on that topic. You might spend so much time pursuing your quest for more information that you end up having to devote more time to your main task. Since you believe you should have all the answers, you might consider yourself a fraud or failure when you can’t answer a question or encounter some knowledge you previously missed.

And finally,

You link competence to your ability to succeed in every role you hold: student, friend, employee, or parent. Failing to successfully navigate the demands of these roles simply proves, in your opinion, your inadequacies. Still, even this maximum effort may not resolve your imposter feelings. You might think, “I should be able to do more,” or “This should be easier.”

Firstly, Acknowledge your Feelings.
Identifying imposter feelings and bringing them out in the light of day can accomplish several goals. Talking to a trusted friend, mentor, or colleague about your distress can help you get perspective and context on the situation. Sharing imposter feelings can help them feel less overwhelming. Also, opening up to peers about how you feel creates a safe space and encourages them to do the same, helping you to realize that you aren’t alone or the only one who feels like an imposter.

Build Connections.
Avoid giving in to the urge to do everything yourself. Instead, turn to classmates, academic peers, and coworkers to create a network of mutual support.

Sharing imposter feelings can also help others in the same position feel less alone and isolated. It also creates the opportunity to share strategies for overcoming these feelings and related challenges you might encounter.

Change your Doubts.
When imposter feelings surface, ask yourself whether any actual facts support these beliefs. Then, look for pieces of evidence to counter them. If you consistently receive encouragement or recognition for your work, that’s a good sign you’re doing plenty right — and deserve a chance for promotion.

A big one here is, Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others.
Everyone has unique abilities. You are where you are because someone recognized your talents and your potential. You may not excel in every task you attempt, but you don’t have to, either. Almost no one can “do it all.” Even when it seems like someone has everything under control, you may not know the full story. Instead of allowing others’ success to highlight your flaws, consider exploring ways to develop the abilities that interest you.

Success doesn’t require perfection. True perfection is impossible, so failing to achieve it doesn’t make you a fraud, it makes you normal. Offering yourself kindness and compassion instead of judgment and self-doubt can help you maintain a realistic perspective and motivate you to pursue healthy self-growth.

Remember, You are valuable, You can do it, You will fail, You will make mistakes and you will learn from it. But you are talented and you will succeed.


Cheers,
Justin Von Braun