Imposter Syndrome may affect you even if you have never heard of it before. To sum it up, Imposter Syndrome (IS) is a psychological pattern of doubting your own achievements and feats, overall feeling like an imposter. Those who are affected may also have a severe fear of being exposed for being a “fraud.”
It is not a diagnosable illness, but those suffering from these feelings can also suffer from depression and anxiety.
Do I belong here?
Imposter Syndrome can affect lives of those outside of university, but of course where would anxious people doubt their abilities and constantly compare themselves to others? University can be tough on its own. We all know that, whether you are a fresher or a fourth year. Everyone has their own struggles to deal with. IS can make a lot of these issues worse; it can make you feel anxious or even that you do not belong.
So, how can we deal with it?
Acknowledgement
It is better to be aware of the symptoms associated with Imposter Syndrome. You may give other reasons for your success before you can admit your own capabilities. You may be over-sensitive to helpful criticism or be overly critical of your own work. Also, you could be dealing with a fear of not living up to expectations and experience self-doubt. These are only a few examples of what people with IS will experience.
Once you recognise why you are feeling this way, you can begin to deal with these feelings in a healthy manner.
Use your reason and adapt
Acknowledging IS is easier said than done but you must stop comparing yourself to others. Success looks different for everyone, and those you are comparing yourself to may experience similar problems. effective way to compare less is by moderating how much time you spend on social media. As we all know much of it is fake or edited to only show the good parts of life.
Back yourself
To try and solidify your beliefs, examine your strengths and skills, and write them down so you can look back on them when you feel unsure.
Have a chat
Sharing your feelings can help more than you may think. Negative thoughts can worsen if you bottle them up, so even consider forms of therapy
Lastly, do not let Imposter Syndrome stop you from achieving or pursuing your goals. You deserve to be where you are right now, you just have to let yourself believe that.
Featured Image Credit: Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
Second year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Writer for Brig and Discovery Music, Chief Sub Editor for Brig
