IMPOSTER SYNDROME: WHY WE ALL FEEL IT (AND HOW TO OVERCOME IT), BY SARAH CHASE

Hi, I’m Sarah. I love high fives, wear my silliness as a badge of honor, and have a collection of what my friends call “Sarah Jokes.” My favorite: What do you call fake spaghetti?

Im-PASTA! (Giggle away, I can wait.)

Why did I share this with you? It’s a joke that I return to often. You see, in the past several years, I have completely upturned my career. I spent 13 years building myself up as a leader within my field and my organization. A few years ago, I walked away from my position as a senior leader of an environmental, health, and safety team at an oil and gas company to consult part time while I pursued a more fulfilling shift. I took my passion for people and leadership and turned it into my own coaching and organizational leadership business. I've been more energized and satisfied professionally with this new endeavor, so why do I sometimes panic a little when asked to do something new, even if it aligns with these new goals? I didn’t think I was qualified. Who would want to listen to me? In short, I've learned the hard truth about the ever-present battle with imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome, or imposter phenomenon, was first coined in 1978 during a study of 150 successful women. It's described as “internal experience of self-perceived intellectual phoniness.” Despite the numerous accolades we receive, imposter syndrome leads us to believe we have duped those around us or got lucky to get to where we are. It’s even more common in high-achieving, successful people. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that includes all of you reading this article.

When is imposter syndrome most likely to rear its ugly head? When you’re doing something new. I’ve lost count of the people I know who have experienced major changes in their life or career in the past year, whether by choice or by circumstance. Study after study after study indicate that working Americans are more motivated to make a change now than prior to the pandemic, meaning more change and more imposter syndrome are ahead. What can we do about it? While resources and advice are numerous, below are my personal favorites.

1) ACKNOWLEDGE
Imposter syndrome can feel like anxiety or depression. What are you telling yourself in these situations? Can they be attributed to imposter syndrome?

Look for patterns in when you feel this way. Which environments or situations did the feelings emerge? If you can recognize a pattern, you can anticipate it and be better prepared to respond.

As soon as we put a name to something, it becomes less scary. It’s like when you’re watching a monster movie full of ambiguity and suspense that triggers that fear and adrenaline, and as soon as the monster appears on screen, it’s not scary anymore. Acknowledging “this is my imposter syndrome talking” can have a similar effect.

As important as it is to acknowledge the feelings and patterns around it, it is more important not to dwell there. Learn how to acknowledge these feelings in the moment so that you can be better prepared to act on them.

2) REFRAME
This one is all about rewiring your brain. How can you rewrite the narrative around the feeling? How can you turn a feeling of anxiety into one of excitement? Anxiety and excitement feel similar in your body, so cognitively thinking the latter when you feel this way can begin to retrain the mind and body to approach the situation more positively.

My favorite reframe came from a coach of my own as she helped me navigate this very syndrome. I didn’t feel like I belonged in this new space of professional coaching. She said, “Imposter implies you don’t belong, and you belong right where you are. Instead of imposter, you’re the new girl.” When I feel imposter syndrome creeping up, I ask myself how to embrace being the “new girl.” What would a new girl do in this situation? Learn everything I can and give myself permission to practice without being perfect.

Remember, imposter syndrome creeps up when a high achiever does something new. So, if you’re feeling like an imposter, you’re probably doing something awesome. What opportunities are being foreshadowed by this pesky syndrome?

3) RECALIBRATE
As humans, we can’t help but compare ourselves to those around us. When we compare ourselves to people we perceive as above us in some way, it's called upward social comparison. Upward social comparison helped us improve and adapt from an evolutionary standpoint. However, it can also lead to feelings of unhappiness or dissatisfaction. If you find yourself in a room full of people you look up to or perceive as better than in some way, how can you recalibrate your scale?

For example, I have been honored with speaking opportunities among some awe-inspiring women. When these opportunities have come up, an early intrusive thought has been, “psssshhtt, no way can a self-proclaimed nerd with an engineering degree who loves dad jokes provide value to this audience, right?” Wrong! Instead of comparing myself to the speakers before or around me, I recalibrated to compare myself to the past version of me. I used to squirm if asked to talk publicly about non-technical topics that have more shades than black and white. I now have the excitement to talk about these things, the feedback to know people are interested, and am embracing being the new girl. (See what I did there?) 

4) HAPPY THOUGHTS
My final tip, consciously make an effort to think happy thoughts. I know how corny this sounds, and it’s also one of the most important. Far too often we focus on what went wrong or didn’t happen. This is evolutionary, as it’s how we learned to survive.

When imposter syndrome shows up, it can trigger a trauma response in our brain (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) which activates your limbic system. Your limbic system processes your emotions. Your prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, is your logic center. The prefrontal cortex and the limbic system are like a teeter-totter where when one is up, the other is down. This is evolution again, if you’re being chased by a tiger, your limbic system pushes you into action before your prefrontal cortex can analyze whether you’re in danger. When imposter syndrome dials up your limbic system, your prefrontal cortex isn’t reminding you of the many reasons you belong there, nor allowing you to perform at your best.

Next time you’re preparing for a presentation, interview, big meeting, etc., consciously spend one or two minutes prior to think about how much of a bad ass you are, what is exciting about a situation, or what you are thankful for about an opportunity. These types of inquiries generate positive emotions and are scientifically proven to calm down the limbic system and allow your prefrontal cortex to activate; the benefits are endless.

In conclusion, if you feel you suffer from imposter syndrome, you’re not alone (email me!), and it’ll never go away. Hopefully these shared tips help turn it into forward momentum and help you not only conquer, but flourish.  

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Sarah Chase
WEN Colorado Member
Founder, Potential Energy Consulting
hey@sarahalicellc.com