How to overcome imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome can be understood as a mental and emotional battle that stems from feelings of fear and unworthiness. Those feelings can have very real effects on your relationships, your work life or even your personal mental health.

Examples of how imposter syndrome affects you are, you might decline a promotion recommendation at work because you think you don’t qualify although, in reality, you’re a perfect fit. Or in relationships, you will constantly struggle with feeling insecure and unworthy of love when your partner fully loves you.

Dealing with constant self-doubt definitely isn’t fun because that stress can suffocate you and keep you from happily progressing in your career and personal life. However, you can overcome and move above those feelings. Here is how:

Filter your thoughts

In a day we have so many thoughts that we have to filter through. At some point, you have to decide what you choose to internalize and then leave the thoughts that don’t define who you are behind.

If you get an overwhelming thought, categorize it as either fact or a mere feeling. It takes time to understand the difference but with practice, you will slowly separate imposter syndrome thoughts from what is true.

Cultivate a realistic mindset

Perfectionism is a common trait in people who struggle with imposter syndrome. It makes you set standards that neither you nor anyone else can ever achieve so you will constantly live in that never-ending chase for perfection.

You have to accept that we’re all humans who are highly flawed so those unattainable standards you have set for yourself are not realistic.

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Reaffirm that you are worthy of good things

It can also be hard for you to celebrate your success when you don’t feel worthy in the first place. You will find yourself discrediting your wins because deep down you believe you’re an imposter waiting to be found out.

And of course, that is not true when you have clearly put in the work to be where you are. Affirm to yourself that you’re worthy of good things just like everyone else and that has nothing to do with how perfect you are.

You could make it a daily habit to say these positive affirmations so your mindset can shift.

Don’t run from failure

With imposter syndrome, the fear of failure can be just as crippling as the fear of success. You might internalize every mistake and disqualify yourself which isn’t a healthy view of failure.

Failure hurts and honestly, it can affect your confidence. However, you can still train yourself to pick the lessons and stop obsessing over the mistakes you made for you to break that cycle.

Use it as motivation

Believe it or not, imposter syndrome can come in handy. It might look like it’s all bad but there are some great perks of having this experience especially when you’re experiencing new challenges.

That little bit of doubt can push you to improve on areas you need to work on and be the best at what you do. You will get satisfaction from knowing that you put in all your effort each passing day.