How to deal with Imposter Syndrome

Learn how to deal with Imposter syndrome with these tips and methods. You can overcome self-doubt and build your self worth and create confidence without yourself.

Imposter Syndrome is a chronic and crippling self-doubt. It can hold you back from taking risks and embracing new challenges in your life. And worst of all it can make you devalue the successes and achievements you already have.

If you are not sure if you are suffering from Imposter Syndrome, check out the previous post: Do I have Imposter Syndrome? And make sure to seek professional help if you need to for your mental health.

Don’t let Imposter Syndrome steal your self confidence. Thankfully there are several ways to combat it. Once you realize it is the cause of your self-doubt, start to identify where you are using negative self talk or avoiding a new challenge.

Embrace Support & Build Habits

Create a strong support system that can provide you with honest feedback that you genuinely trust. Reach out in situations of doubt, even at work. You can build relationships on mutual respect, and get reassurance and appreciation when you need it most.

Also, try a cognitive technique when you identify an imposter syndrome thought. Just observe the doubt and let it pass. Refuse to engage with the negativity in your mind and divert your attention elsewhere. It may help to retrain your thoughts by simply not giving it any attention or additional thought.

Another great cognitive tip method is to utilize positive affirmations or mantras. I have compiled a few of my favorites below. Be prepared with a few on hand whenever you need a loving reminder of your skill and value.

Thoughts & Actions

Try to remind yourself as much as possible that no one is perfect and no one is an expert in everything. Nor do you need to be an expert in anything to receive love and validation. We are all uniquely skilled and are impossible to compare.

Feel free to empower your self and abilities by seeking additional credentials, degrees, certifications, classes, mentor-ships, or any other learning-based activity. I guarantee you will feel more confidant after picking up something new or deepening your existing well of knowledge.

Beat Imposter Syndrome

If you need a quick boost of self efficacy, start by doing things you know you can succeed at and that will produce results. We love instant gratification, and sometimes we need a little jump start to get our motivation into gear.

And once you get yourself going, you can use that progress to keep yourself going by recording incremental successes that add up over time. It’s a great way to remember all the hard work you’ve put in especially when we tend to forget over time.

Make friends with confidant, self-assured people. They will absolutely rub off on you and you’ll start to see yourself in them. You’ll even pick up some of their habits and traits that can build your confidence.

Instead of dwelling in your self-deprecating thoughts, try to delve into them instead. Ask yourself why you feel that way, instead of automatically validating the thought.

You may realize that a past trauma is projecting itself onto your life and causing all of this self-doubt. Once you can identify those blocks and traumas you can start to heal them.

Building Self-Confidence

Remember that you are not alone in this feeling. Everyone doubts themselves, some more than others. But absolutely everyone does at one point or another.

Release yourself of the shame and embarrassment that causes you to hide your doubts and fears. You do not need to feel bad about imposter syndrome. The more you talk about it and own it, the more you can support yourself and those around you.

And don’t ever forget that you are absolutely worthy of every blessing you have and everything that you are. You can rewire your brain to remember your value and eliminate the crippling self doubt.

Reach out and communicate with those that you love and share your experiences. Consider whether your goals are in line with your actual desires and is genuinely what you want. Sometimes we try to push something that may not be our true path. And once we stop forcing, better opportunities reveal themselves.