Have you ever felt you are not as smart as your peers? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? Do you set unrealistic expectations for yourself?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions above, you might be experiencing impostor syndrome. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of impostor syndrome is, “a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success.”
If you suffer from impostor syndrome, you are not alone. A September 2019 study from Brigham Young University revealed, “20 percent of the college students in their sample suffered from very strong feelings of impostorism.” That being said, there are some steps you can take to overcome the feeling.
Dr. Valerie Young, an internationally-recognized expert on impostor syndrome, has come up with a list of 10 Steps You Can Use to Overcome Impostor Syndrome. The steps are listed below, but click on the link for a more detailed description of each one.
- Break the silence.
- Separate feelings from fact.
- Recognize when you should feel fraudulent.
- Accentuate the positive.
- Develop a new response to failure and mistake making.
- Right the rules.
- Develop a new script.
- Visualize success.
- Reward yourself.
- Fake it ‘til you make it.
Realize that you are not alone in how you feel. Talk to others, recognize your accomplishments, and accept the fact that people make mistakes. It’s okay. Be true to yourself and ask for help when you need it. We want you to succeed, now it’s your turn to recognize that you’re worthy of it.
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