7 Ways to Overcome Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome, also called impostor phenomenon, involves highly accomplished and successful individuals who, paradoxically, believe they are frauds destined to be exposed and fail. Originally identified among a group of female college students with outstanding grades and test scores, many of these students felt their achievements were merely the result of luck or error. Subsequent research revealed that impostor feelings affect both men and women and that early family conflict and insufficient parental support can significantly contribute to this self-perception (American Psychological Association, 2018). Here are seven ways to overcome the feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt associated with impostor syndrome.

1. Name your inner critic: The voice of impostor syndrome is your inner critic, sowing the seeds of self-doubt. This inner critic, like a broken record, irrationally makes you underestimate your capabilities. Although it may seem to be arguing in your best interest, it thrives on fear-based, unrealistic thinking. Label your thoughts or feelings sparked by your inner critic as they occur. Be mindful not to attribute success to luck or to discount praise or compliments. Use a simple statement such as, “My critic is making me feel or think… Thanks, critic!” to accept it mindfully without dwelling or judging (Mohr, 2019).

2. Recognize the benefits of being a novice: Having a beginner’s mindset offers a fresh perspective free of bias from past experiences. Rather than feeling inadequate in a particular domain, being an outsider empowers you to ask questions that haven’t been asked before (Molinsky, 2019).

3. Switch from a performance to a learning mindset: People suffering from impostor syndrome harbor a performance mindset – they view mistakes and feelings of inadequacy as evidence of their limitations. In a learning mindset, mistakes are seen as an inevitable part of the learning process rather than a failure (Molinsky, 2019).

4. Challenge your self-doubts: Impostor syndrome is driven by irrational, negative thought patterns such as all-or-none thinking, jumping to conclusions, discounting the positives, and magnification – blowing things out of proportion. Borrowing from cognitive restructuring used in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), ask these questions to challenge your self-doubts and arrive at a more balanced and rational way to look at your perceived limitation (Duggal, 2016).

• Where is the evidence that this is true? Look back at times when you were successful and at your previous accomplishments.
• Is there another way to look at this? This helps you challenge your misinterpretation of a situation and come up with some more plausible explanations.
• What would I tell my best friend if they were in this situation? This question will help you view the situation from a third-person perspective and bring out your compassionate side.
• Would you think about this situation in one week, one month, or one year from now? You can decide on this timeframe, and if the answer is no, don’t sweat about it now.
• Is holding down to this belief (e.g., of inadequacy or self-doubt) helping or hurting me? If this is hurting you, then let it go.

5. Use self-compassion to overcome perfectionism: Individuals with impostor syndrome feel discouraged when they don’t perform perfectly on a task. They often feel they have to put in more effort because they don’t see themselves as smart as the people around them. Self-compassion is another proven antidote for perfectionism (Neff, 2011). In a journal, write any event that made you judge yourself critically, or you felt ashamed, or blamed yourself, or anything you felt terrible about. Next, for each event, use the three components of the compassionate frame of mind – self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and mindfulness – to process the event in a self-compassionate way. Using self-kindness, you use gentle, supportive, and understanding words to accept your shortcomings rather than harshly blaming yourself. For example, “I know I messed up, but it isn’t the end of the world. I understand how frustrating it is to miss the deadline and how it makes me feel. I know I tried very hard to accomplish my task, and blaming myself for not performing satisfactorily will only get my spirits down.” Using a sense of common humanity, you recognize that all humans fail and make mistakes, and no one is perfect

6. Become responsible for others: Mentoring others takes away the focus on one’s perceived limitations.

7. Seek professional help: For some individuals, underlying depression and anxiety can perpetuate impostor syndrome due to deeply held negative core beliefs, such as one is not good enough.

Visit Dr. Duggal’s Author Page to explore effective self-management strategies for enhancing mental health and well-being.

HARPREET S. DUGGAL, MD, FAPA

REFERENCES

American Psychological Association (2018). APA dictionary of psychology – impostor phenomenon.

Duggal, H.S. (2016). The complete guide to self-management of depression. Archway Publishing.

Mohr, T. S. (2019). Helping an employee overcome their self-doubt. In Emotional Intelligence – Confidence (pp. 115-125). Harvard Business Review Press.

Molinsky, A. (2019). Everyone suffers from impostor syndrome – here’s how to handle it. In Emotional Intelligence – Confidence (pp. 25-32). Harvard Business Review Press.

Neff, K. (2011). Self-compassion. William Morrow.