5 Ways to Combat Impostor Syndrome
By L’Oreal Thompson Payton, Guest Writer
It was the fall of 2018 and I’d naively agreed to do the keynote address at a networking event for women in tech. First of all, I am not a woman in tech. Secondly, I’d never given a keynote address in my life, but had agreed to do so, because why not?
Now, as fate would have it, I was regretting that choice. I was stricken yet again with impostor syndrome. First coined in the late 1970s by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, the term impostor syndrome is described as “the phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.”
But that initial study consisted of participants who were mostly white, well-educated, middle- to upper-class women, according to mental health counselor and researcher Dr. Lincoln Hill. In her article for ZORA, Hill notes that although recent studies have attempted to account for race, they still don’t acknowledge that “for Black women, racism is gendered and sexism is racialized.”
As clinical psychologist Dr. Adia Gooden mentions in her Insight Timer course about overcoming impostor syndrome, discrimination can heighten impostor syndrome.
“When we experience discrimination, people may explicitly or implicitly tell us that we do not belong, that we only got our job or into an academic program because of diversity initiatives,” she said. “In other words, discrimination can send the message that you are an impostor.”
Read on for tactics to help you overcome impostor syndrome:
1. Deconstruct Your Success
When she has clients grappling with impostor syndrome, Gooden encourages them to think of an accomplishment and take note of everything they did to get to that point, such as researching a role, conducting informational interviews, or reading articles and books about a topic.
“You didn’t get to where you are by accident,” she says. “In the course, I tell the story about how I got into Stanford because I had something to contribute and I worked hard in high school. I didn’t get in because of how I looked and that’s really important to acknowledge.”
Whether your accomplishment was getting a new job or setting a personal record for a 5K, jot down the steps it took to achieve that goal and you’ll develop a newfound appreciation for the perseverance and resourcefulness it took to get there.
2. Stand In Your Shine
Raise your hand if you’ve ever brushed off an achievement with “it’s no big deal,” or “I just got lucky.” Take a moment to write down three to five accomplishments -- they can be as small or as big as you want, but the idea is to acknowledge your accomplishments.
If you’re ready for the next level, become intentional about celebrating your achievements as well. Treat yourself to something nice, like a venti latte from your favorite coffee shop or a day at the spa to relax and unwind.
3. Allow Yourself to Learn
“One of the things that contributes to impostor syndrome for many of us is feeling like we should know everything already,” Gooden shares. “When we feel confused or unsure about how to do an assignment, we worry that we must be impostors.”
To combat this feeling, Gooden suggests adopting a growth mindset. Whereas in a fixed mindset people believe there’s a predetermined amount of intelligence and talent available, a growth mindset is the belief that such intelligence and talent can grow, or develop, over time.
Some ways you can develop a growth mindset is by giving yourself permission to not be an expert; asking questions along the way; and extending yourself grace if and when you make a mistake.
4. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
When you start comparing your behind-the-scenes story to everyone else’s highlight reel, it’s easier to feel like an impostor.
“Focus on the gifts and strengths you want to bring to the table,” says Gooden. “You may think, ‘oh, that person has such a good idea, I need to be just like that person in order to be good at my job or to be a great student.’ But we need to shift away from that to asking ‘what am I good at?’ ‘What do people always affirm me for?’ Whatever it is, focus on that and what that looks like for you instead of trying to be someone else.”
5. Realize There’s Room for All of Us
Scarcity mindset, the belief that there will never be enough, also fuels impostor syndrome. Instead, try approaching tasks and goals from an abundance mindset, the belief that there is more than enough to go around.
“You’re operating as if there’s one success pie and every time someone gets a piece of that success, you feel threatened, like you’re not going to get a piece of that pie,” Gooden explains. “In the past, this has come out with other Black women in the mental health and wellness space, that was my trigger for feeling jealousy. I felt like success was running out and they got there first. What helped me is focusing on abundance. There’s room for all of us to be successful and share our different perspectives and ideas.”
To help foster that abundance mindset, Gooden starts her day by reading this quote from Louise Hay and adopting it as an affirmation: “I rejoice in the success of others, knowing that there is plenty for us all.”