Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Embracing Your Innate Power Within the Workplace Program Recap

Thank you to Natasha Paris St. Amand, M.Ed., LPC, for a powerful presentation on dealing with Imposter Syndrome in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month.  When we think of mental health, we often think of personal struggles that occur outside the workplace, but that environment can be a trigger for a variety of mental health issues, a common one being Imposter Syndrome.  In some cases, Imposter Syndrome can be a manifestation of other issues we are facing or it can be the catalyst for other mental health concerns.  So let’s unmask Imposter Syndrome to learn how we can overcome it and become the best version of ourselves!

What is Imposter Syndrome?

In its simplest terms, Imposter Syndrome is a psychological pattern of thought that doubts your skills, talents, or accomplishments as it relates to your work or career.  While this can affect individuals at any level of an organization, high performers, leaders, or managers tend to be the most liable to this condition.  Individuals experiencing Imposter Syndrome often don’t feel like they have the capacity to do their job or that their results/accomplishments are flawed in some way, despite their continued ability to complete their tasks.   This manifests itself in feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety.  Individuals may fear being exposed as a fraud (not qualified for a position) or that their accomplishments are the result of luck or the work of others.

Causes and Effects

There can be a wide-variety of causes for Imposter Syndrome, some of which might stem from situations outside of the workplace.  Some of the root causes of Imposter Syndrome include:

• Low self-esteem – feeling of unworthiness for a wide-variety of reasons,
• Comparisons – continuously comparing yourself to peers or other influential figures
• Fear of failure – any little mistake could lead to catastrophic failure in your performance or ability to work
• Perfectionism – if its not perfect or up to your standards, then it is worthless
• Overworking – you must continuously take on new projects and overwork yourself in order to prove your worth
• Attribution bias – finding anyone else than yourself to attribute true success

Some of these causes can be the result of toxic work environments, upbringing, or external factors outside the workplace.

If these causes are unaddressed and Imposter Syndrome remains unchallenged, it can lead to a host of issues or unintended consequences, including:

• Decreased confidence
• Burnout
• Underperformance
• Relationship strain – at work and at home
• Unemployment – voluntarily or involuntarily
• Mental health issues – anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation

The biggest takeaway is that even though Imposter Syndrome is focused on your state of mind related to your work, the consequences can easily affect every other aspect of your life.  You can transfer frustration to family or friends, become withdrawn from loved ones, or transfer your insecurities about your work performance to other aspects in your life, compounding the negative effects.

Tools to Address Imposter Syndrome

So what can we do to address Imposter Syndrome and reorient our lives in a more positive light?  The following five steps build upon each other and can create a cycle that will lead to emotional wellness:

1. Recognize and acknowledge – Why do you have those feelings or behaviors?  Are they systemic from other issues in your life?  By confronting the problem, you can start to take control of it.
2. Reframe negative thoughts – Your brain is a muscle and learns certain behaviors through repetition, specifically generating negative thoughts in certain situations.  Thoughts inform feelings and feelings inform behaviors, which can then become habitual.  If you can actively work to reframe those feelings into positive statements, you can work to break the cycle of mental negativity that dominates your frame of mind.
3. Set realistic goals – In order to deal with Imposter Syndrome, we can take on other goals or tasks to make us feel more accomplished, even if we cannot meet those expectations.  This can cause us to overwork and underappreciate ourselves.  If we stick to setting realistic goals, we can work within our means and focus on our talents and accomplishments.
4. Celebrate accomplishments – Accomplishments can take on many forms, from completing a huge project, to going to the gym, to going to bed early.  No matter the size of the accomplishment, we need to celebrate them, which can then help us develop self-worth and reject the negative thoughts we traditionally focus on.
5. Practice self-compassion – Do what makes you happy to bolster your happiness.  Going for a run, cooking a meal, journaling, dancing, singing, WHATEVER!  It doesn’t matter, but if you take time for yourself and increase your happiness, this can help transfer a positive mindset to other aspects in your life, including your work.

In some instances, we may need some more help that the five steps addressed above…and that is OK!  Try practicing mindfulness or meditation to help ground yourself, focus your thoughts and energy, and reset yourself into a positive mindset to take on whatever life throws at you.  Additionally, take advantage of professional help if you are still struggling with your mental health.  This can help with confronting your condition, learning coping strategies, and ultimately finding how to live the best version of yourself.

More Information

If you would like more information on Imposter Syndrome or other mental health concerns, please visit Natasha Paris St. Amand’s website https://natashaparisspeaks.com/ or check out her podcast “Empower U 2”.  You can view a recording of this webinar on our YouTube Channel at https://youtu.be/3SgPno_e0p4.