Beyond the Office Facade: Resolving Imposter Syndrome with the Use of Mind-Body Wisdom
Introduction: A Common but Often Hidden Struggle
While many young and middle-aged professionals alike are under the impression that they are either alone or at least more severely impaired by their struggles with imposter syndrome than their working peers, I can attest to the fact that this is rarely the case. Having worked directly with so many talented professionals over the years with a range of skills, personalities, social behaviors and career ambitions, I know that imposter syndrome is one of those nagging internal struggles that far too many of us feel discouraged by.
Unveiling the Extent of Imposter Syndrome
A meta-review of over 50 research studies, released in early 2020, found that up to 82% of the working population, those in higher education and teenagers reported struggles with imposter syndrome and/or burnout. And those from ethnic minority backgrounds were amongst the most likely to report that they were experiencing imposter syndrome. And while imposter syndrome is not a diagnosable psychiatric condition, it has been found to have a strong association with anxiety and depression in individuals who struggle with it.
Imposter syndrome is largely a strong feeling of self doubt where “high-achieving individuals” “fail to internalize their accomplishments,” according to the study. Essentially, even in the face of evidence that these individuals have achieved a lot in their careers and are likely performing at a level that is well above average, they still don’t feel as successful on the inside as they look to everyone else on the outside.
For anyone curious, the term imposter syndrome became widespread after the publication of the 1985 book by Dr. Pauline Rose Clance, “The Impostor Phenomenon: When Success Makes You Feel Like a Fake.”
Of course, learning all this might be a little concerning at first. After all, the thing about having this mindset is that even being presented with cold, hard evidence that you are actually doing quite well, isn’t quite the magical cure for feeling like a fraud, as we would hope it would be.
So what are the additional steps we need to take to address this negative, and untrue, belief about ourselves?
Mindful Practices for Cultivating Resilience in Everyday Life
So what can you do to help you be more resistant to the stress of imposter syndrome in the first place?
One way to prompt your brain into a more balanced way of evaluating your work and impact is to remind yourself that all human brains have what’s called a “negativity bias.” Basically, a lot of our survival over the time that humans have existed on earth comes down to our ability to anticipate the worst possible outcomes and plan for these real (or imagined events).
For so much of our human history, our very survival depended on our ability to recognize our fear and act according to it. This just isn’t as helpful when we are feeling frozen in place just before giving a presentation in the middle of a board meeting at work.
So recognizing prior to an important task that you are having the kind of fear reaction that your ancestors were trained to have can help to reduce the self-judgement at struggling with these feelings in the first place.
Then you can either do some journaling or speak aloud to yourself all the ‘contrary evidence’ to the negative thought or belief that you are currently having.
In this instance, you are playing the detective working with the defense attorney (think any law and order type show that you’ve ever watched). The detective and the attorney already have a strong hunch that the person being charged is innocent, and they will need to be very thorough about uncovering the evidence to prove the case.
This is what it looks like to be your own advocate. You advocate for yourself with yourself, and seek out the evidence that you are not, in fact, a failure or that you don’t belong in this space.
And I’ll be real with you; the first couple of pieces of evidence will likely be difficult to find at first (back to the negativity bias). But once you find the first couple, the rest start coming in much more easily. And you will also be training your brain at the same time to start doing this on its own more consistently.
Embracing Authenticity and Finding Your Confidence
Feeling sure of yourself at all times in the workplace is truly an impossible task. Everyone struggles with this from time to time, from those in senior leadership, to interns and fellows, office admin, middle managers, etc.
The goal is not to seek the perfection of unwavering confidence at all times, but to quickly recognize when false thinking has taken over and is starting to run the show when it comes to your work. Seeing false, negative thinking quickly for the lie that it is can greatly assist with bouncing back and reclaiming your natural creativity and talents.
If you find that you are struggling with how to navigate imposter syndrome more than you would like, and you are ready to seek out professional help to support you in your goals, reach out to me for a call. I have helped many other talented professionals just like you, and would be happy to make your journey a whole lot easier.
Take the first step and schedule your consultation call for services today.
About The Author
Linda Sanderville, LCSW is a psychotherapist with over ten years experience in effective trauma treatment and training and supervision of other mental health professionals. Currently, she provides specialty services to adults seeking recovery from stressful life events and those who desire to optimize their wellness and the health of their relationships.
Interested in Starting Therapy to treat Imposter Syndrome in Alexandria or Richmond VA?
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