Imposter Syndrome

If you constantly discredit yourself of what you are actually worth, doubt your abilities even after being reminded of how great you are by those around you and sometimes feel like you don’t deserve what you’ve gotten because you think you haven’t worked hard enough to get it when you clearly have, welcome to the exclusive club of Imposter Syndrome. Now, if you really are feeling all these things, here are 3 things you should be doing to remind yourself of the beauty that you are:

1. Separate feelings from facts – understand that what you feel is not always the truth. List down the things you have achieved along your learning curve no matter how small they might seem and marvel at your growth

2. If you suffer from imposter syndrome, more often than notyou’re a perfectionist. Take it as a positive attribute but also don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember, sometimes good enough is better than perfect

3. If you’ve been under the impression that you aren’t good enough because you think “you should always know the answer” and “you should never ask for help”, rewrite your rules and give yourself permission to not know things and ask for help.

For all the times that you feel like a fraud and that how you got here was sheer luck, remember that although being grounded and level-headed is a good trait, not acknowledging your capabilities can be toxic and needs to be dealt with.

Per the International Journal of Behavioral Science, 70 percent of people will experience imposter syndrome at least once. Personality traits and childhood experiences being major contributors, self-worth is important to combat mental health issues and so imposter syndrome is hardly a matter to talk about in passing but something that needs to be introspected and worked on. Millennials, if you are even remotely feeling this or know of someone who is, act on it!