What is Imposter Syndrome and How to Over Come It | ELEAHVATE

Do you struggle with Imposter Syndrome? That feeling that you’re not fully deserving of success? That feeling of never ending self doubt?

Let’s talk about it! I wanted to dive in a bit deeper and talk about my struggles with it and how I work through these self limiting beliefs.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

So first off Imposter Syndrome can be defined “ as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success” which also include feelings of “chronic self doubt [and/or] intellectual fraudulence” (Corkindle, 2008).

Phewwwww chile! If you have shivers at how relatable this feeling is, let me know in the comments.

What does imposter syndrome sound like?

Imposter Syndrome will have me fixating on that little voice inside my head telling me:

“Who do you think you are to start creating content”

“Why do you think you’re special enough that people would spend their time reading this”

“Why would people care what you have to say”

Imposter syndrome plagues my life by forcing me to believe that none of my achievements or efforts will amount to anything successful BUT if they do then it was because of luck.

This mindset is so dangerous because it causes me to live in this little bubble of playing things safe, discrediting my hard work, and invalidating myself.

Attributing your success solely to luck is somewhat of a paradox.

On one hand it’s comfortable because if I do fail then I can blame it on outside factors beyond myself.

But on the other hand, it’s discouraging because it puts me in a position to believe that I’m not in control of any of the variable factors that contribute to my success.

It goes back to the belief that you only fail when you stop trying. You can read more about this in my previous post.

Self doubt and imposter syndrome

To put it into context I’ve had this blog since the beginning of 2021 and it’s taken me just about 3 years to launch it.

DAMN YOU IMPOSTER SYNDROME!!

Not only does it have me blocking my own growth but the never-ending self doubt is exhausting on the cerebral.

Imposter Syndrome really feels like a never ending battle of me vs. me.

It has me continuously second guessing if I want to accept certain opportunities, give my opinion on a topic, or even participate in work projects.

Ultimately it had me programmed to believe that my knowledge, achievements, and opinions were not worthy of sharing.

I think the most difficult part of it all is coming to realize that all this doubt and constant invalidation is coming from me.

To be real, it’s very unsettling that it's the voice inside my own head which has caused me to feel this level of inadequacy.

And then the added layer of feeling guilty for that… it’s a whole lot of mental turmoil going on here.

Of course there is a lot of influence from the world around us feeding our subconscious mind messages about ourselves, and how a lot of marketing alone is geared towards drawing upon our insecurities.

But that’s why it’s even more important to create a strong foundation of beliefs that validate yourself, and ultimately make the inside of your mind a kind place to be.

Coping with Imposter Syndrome

Give yourself more grace

It definitely took me a while to forgive myself but giving myself the grace and compassion that I would extend to a friend was key.

Although I wouldn’t say I’m in a place where I no longer struggle with imposter syndrome, I am definitely feeding into my limiting beliefs less often.

I just had a thought: Come to think of it, I don’t know if these types of thoughts will ever disappear.

I think it’s part of the human experience to experience self doubt and fear.

I think what matters more is how you can take what you’ve learned and continue to become a more wise, skilled, insightful version of yourself.

I’d argue that if the root of imposter syndrome are feelings of inadequacy then the antidote is unconditional love for SELF.

The work that I’m doing on myself is intentional and focuses on validating not only my successes but also areas that I struggle in.

This is something I work on by being more aware of my thoughts and challenging them when I’m met with limiting beliefs.

Now when I have thoughts such as “Who do you think you are to participate in this event? I think to myself “ You have so much valuable information to share and you deserve to be here”

Practice Mindfulness

Learning to become mindful in itself is a skill that I’m continuing to work on but it's definitely a start.

Even challenging yourself to meditate for 5 minutes a day, over time you will eventually see the benefits.

I find that I’m less reactive, more compassionate, and more patient with myself/others since meditating.

I’ve been doing this meditation quite consistently for the past year. It’s super beginner friendly and easy to incorporate into my morning routine. Let me know if you guys check it out!

Click here to try it! 5 Minute Morning Meditation

Mindfulness has helped me understand where my feelings of imposter syndrome come from and get real specific on what exactly these thoughts are.

It can be quite overwhelming to experience the non-stop chatter in our minds and I like to think of the metaphor of tangled headphones to understand this.

When you look at the tangled headphones, you start to think “how did this even happen” “what a mess” “I don’t even know where to start”

But if you take the time to begin at the base and start to unravel the mess from there, you will eventually work through it and will have a pair of tangle free headphones!

Your mind is the tangled headphones! Stay with me!!

Mindfulness gives you the ability to quiet down all the turbulence in your mind and get to the root of what your thoughts are saying about you.

You actually have a moment to pause, reflect and question if the thoughts you’re having are even based in reality or if your mind is being overrun by self doubt.

Lean into uncomfortable situations

Lastly I find it helpful (and scary) to put yourself in those situations where the feelings of imposter syndrome are very present.

Do your thoughts tell you not to start those music lessons? Sign up.

Do they tell you that you aren’t good enough to apply for that new position at work? Apply.

Do they tell you that you aren’t capable of starting that small business you’ve dreamt of? Start.

Whatever it is that you’re passionate about doing, you just have to take that first step and begin.

This is also tied to my last post on conquering fear but in order to work through these beliefs, you have to put yourself in these uncomfortable situations.

When you do this you actually get to practice giving yourself grace, and mindfulness.

At first it will be uncomfortable and scary but I try to practice asking myself “what’s the worst thing that’ll happen?”

As time goes by you actually give yourself the opportunity to rewire these beliefs and instill the belief that you are capable, you are enough, and that you deserve to be in these spaces.

Talk to Me

Let me know if you enjoyed this post and if you’re also someone who struggles with imposter syndrome.

I want to hear from y’all, so don’t be shy, tell me one way you tackle imposter syndrome or something you took away from this post.

Feel free to leave me a comment on this post or on my other social media platforms.

With love,

Leah

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Help! I’m Being Paralyzed by Imposter Syndrome