Written by: Claire Elmes, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you ever find yourself doubting your ability? Do you find your insecurities impact your productivity at work? Many of us struggle with imposter syndrome but put this down to usual anxieties and deal with this for years without seeking any support or making any changes.
If you find that this applies to you, you aren’t alone. The first step in combating this feeling is to identify the type of Imposter Syndrome you are experiencing and make small steps to improve your overall well-being. If you need help in identifying which type is rearing its ugly head, check out my recent blog here.
So, what can we do to help conquer these feelings?
1. Work out your personal triggers
For those who may be struggling with some of these internal experiences, it is important to recognize when these feelings happen and what triggers them. There is no exhaustive list of what may trigger feelings of imposter syndrome, this could be both external and internal pressures to be ‘perfect’ when completing tasks or feelings of anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Figuring out the root cause of your Imposter Syndrome will allow you to be mindful when going into different scenarios and put coping strategies in place to ensure that you are supported. For example, if you find the transitional journey difficult such as starting a new job role, it might be useful to have more support in place during this time.
2. Celebrate your Successes
When balancing your workday, it's also important to make note of and celebrate your achievements and successes, no matter how big or small. When we struggle with some of the internal thoughts of imposter syndrome such as not feeling good enough, these can feel all-consuming and can often be our only thoughts, however, having a reminder of all the achievements you have completed within the company can help reiterate your value and place within your company.
It can also help if you become overwhelmed with anxious and stressful thoughts, to counteract these with facts against the thought when reshifting your mindset.
3. Reach out to your friends
It is also important to keep in touch with those who know, love, and support you when you are feeling down with thoughts of imposter syndrome. Sometimes, having a conversation with a loved one can help you recognize that whilst these thoughts are completely normal, they are not based on fact and they will be able to support you in recognizing some factual information to argue against the thought.
4. Start to Reframe your Mindset
One of the best ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to slowly make changes to reframe your own mindset. There are lots of tools you can use to do this, such as CBT-based work that will help you identify these specific thoughts and how you can change them to shift into a more positive mindset.
Looking at situations with a positive mindset, rather than one that is clouded by anxiety, stress, and fear of failure can help massively during the workplace and increase your productivity whilst at work.
For example, if you get a thought that you are not good enough to be on the team and don’t do anything right, you could counteract this by thinking about three positive things you have done for the team such as; ‘I am hardworking and put my all into my work’, ‘I secured a deal for my company that they would have otherwise not got’, ‘I completed my project on time. These are all factual statements that would contradict the belief that I am not good enough to be in the team and do nothing correctly.
This can feel unnatural at first but if you repeat the process several times, this will become easier and when you start to get a thought that you may not be good enough, you can easily counteract it and reframe your thoughts to shift your mindset.
You might find you need more support to do this, if so reach out to a professional who can help shift your mindset and overcome that imposter syndrome.
Claire Elmes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Claire Elmes is the founder of Inspire You and is passionate about work-life balance. Having experienced burnout, Claire is dedicated to empowering people to work through stress and anxiety, traumatic life events, shift mindset, regulate emotions, gain clarity, and develop a stable routine. Through coaching and therapeutic techniques, Claire helps people tap into their potential and transform their lives for the better. Since Covid 19, Claire has recognized many companies are changing how they work and is supporting them to develop innovative well-being strategies to prevent staff burnout and help teams thrive, not survive. Claire provides companies with regular well-being support on a wide variety of topics such as: "How to avoid burnout", "How to make time in your week for what matters", "How to stop overthinking", "How to improve sleep", " How to manage imposter syndrome," "How to be the best version of you", to name just a few. Claire's mission is to empower the emotional well-being of staff and bring the fun back into work life.
