When working, it can be easy to feel as though you are not doing enough or that you do not deserving of what you get. This type of behavior can be super detrimental to your overall mental health as this can lead to you feeling as though you do not belong in the place you work. For employers, it can lead to a high turnover rate as employees are going to feel unhappy. While this is not a direct result of anything that the employer has done, employees are still going to feel like they should look elsewhere.
This is why it is important that every employee know what Imposter Syndrome is and how to combat this so that they can feel more fulfilled in their workplace!
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Basically, when a person has imposter syndrome they often feel as though the accomplishments that they have were not earned. They often feel as though they are a fraud, and in their heads, they often worry that they are going to be exposed as such. In reality, the person may be brilliant and everything that they have earned at work was because they are good at what they do. Many people sum this syndrome up as feeling as though nothing you do is good enough, despite the fact that you may be one of the best people on staff.
Imposter Syndrome affects men and women, though most psychologists believe that more women than men are affected. It can affect anyone in any type of position. It can affect the mother who works from home and is successful. It can affect the male CEO of a major company. It can affect a manager at a fast food restaurant. There is no certain person that is more likely to get this than any other.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
So, how can you combat imposter syndrome? There are several tips that professionals give those who are dealing with imposter syndrome.
1. Know that you are not alone.
Many times, simply knowing that you are not alone in these feelings can help you to get over whatever you are feeling. If you know that others feel this way, then you can breathe a bit easier knowing that what success you have earned.
2.Remind yourself of your accomplishments
Be specific in the accomplishments that you have made when reminding yourself. Then really think about how you made these accomplishments happen. Are you a techy with concrete examples of how you let CX lead Digital Transformation. Or are you on the other side- dealing with customers first hand? How have you listened to the client and delivered? Sometimes, taking the time to really think about what you have earned shows that you put in the work that was required, and it can help these feelings of fraud disappear.
3.Talk to someone else
One of the best ways to get over these feelings is to talk to someone else. Many employers have an employee communication platform in which they encourage employees to reach out to HR if they have issues whether they be work or personal related. Do this, and see how talking with someone else can help to relieve these feelings. You can even consider group counseling or support groups that are devoted to imposter syndrome.
4.Refrain from negative thoughts
This is going to be something that you have to work on- refrain from making negative thoughts towards yourself. This will need time to effort, but once you can get past the negative thoughts, you may start to see the worth that you have for the company that you belong to! This type of thinking can be helped along with group therapy or even private therapy so that you can see that you do have value and what you earn is yours and yours alone.
