Help Beat Imposter Syndrome & Believe in Yourself With These 4 Tips

Do you ever feel like you don't deserve what you have at times?

Have you heard of imposter syndrome?

When you receive a compliment about a job well done, do you usually respond and say it was nothing and believe that others could’ve done it way better than you? 

If you’ve ever felt overrated, unable to take ownership of your personal achievements and had this fear of being unmasked at some point in your life, know that you are not alone. Imposter syndrome is more common than you think!

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is a psychological term describing a negative pattern of behavior when one feels not good enough.

In fact, 70% of professionals feel like an imposter in their workplace according to the International Journal of Behavioral Science. And while it’s linked to a variety of causes, this syndrome often originates in childhood.

Those who had performance discrepancies were believed to have lower self-esteem because their school performances were gauged and viewed differently at home. For grownups, they find it difficult and challenging to evaluate their performances as adults.

This is especially true if they were used to being praised as youngsters.

Apart from that, imposter syndrome can also happen when people are given negative comments from those they deem superior to them or when they have chronic self-deprecating thoughts due to internalized stereotypes of inferiority.

A study by KPMG even revealed that 75% of women executives experienced this syndrome in their careers at some point. 

4 Tips to Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

A lot of folks experience imposter syndrome from time to time.

It’s a terrible feeling and something that holds people back. If you’re one of them, fret not because nothing is set in stone! These tips below can help you keep that little voice inside your head in check and beat that crippling and unwanted self-doubt. 

1. Deal with issues head-on.

The thing with imposter syndrome is that it could take a toll on you if you procrastinate.

So, if you're working on something and you face difficulties along the way, it’s best to deal with them head-on. Dealing with issues at a later time could backfire, leaving you feeling bad about yourself.

The best way to go about it is to tackle the hard and challenging tasks first instead of setting them aside. You’ll have that sense of accomplishment and feel less inadequate. 

2. Don’t let your emotions cloud your logic.

Try not to let your emotions cloud your logic and start viewing things from a more objective perspective.

Carrying those counterproductive ideas and habits and ideas is not the way to go. They are emotional in nature and driven by negative emotions. 

In times of doubt and apprehension, it’s better to assess the good and bad side of your past performances objectively. Doing it this way and focusing on the facts can help you make balanced judgements and think and act much better. 

3. Write and keep track of your achievements.

Writing down and keeping track of your past achievements is a great way to remind yourself of what you’ve accomplished so far.

It’s time to pat yourself in the back, give yourself more credit and become your biggest cheerleader. Training your brain to focus on your accomplishments is much more productive than dwelling on what went wrong - and could go a long way in keeping your spirits up. 

4. Have a strong support system.

Having a strong support system means everything.

When lack of self worth and fraudulent feelings come up, it can be so helpful to have people around you who you can lean on to for support. Your family, friends and trusted mentors can fill this role.

These people can (Hopefully) make you feel safe and lift you up when you’re feeling down. They also won’t invalidate your efforts and prevent you from beating yourself up during bad days. 

Imposter Syndrome is Real. But Know You ARE Good Enough

There you have it. These are just some tips to beat imposter syndrome. Although this self-defeating cycle is not easy to overcome and can’t be done overnight by any means, know that it’s possible to overcome it.  

P.S. You’re good enough and you deserve to feel worthy and happy. You’re not defined by your negative thoughts and deserve way better.   

Editor's note: This article was originally published Feb 19, 2022 and has been updated to improve reader experience.

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