3 Practical Ways to Deal With Imposter Syndrome

"I'm good at what I do," said Olivia* during one of our first therapy sessions. She was a successful financial analyst at a big firm and had already had a string of promotions. "But I can't help it—any type of criticism hits home hard. I know I should feel positive about the things I've accomplished, but I still feel like I need to prove myself all the time."

Although not a formally recognized psychiatric diagnosis, the term imposter syndrome is widely used to describe the struggle people encounter when they feel inadequate or have difficulty accepting their successes, often in the workplace. One recent review of 62 studies with over 14,000 participants reported that imposter syndrome was common, with a prevalence rate ranging between 9 to 82 percent, depending on the assessment and screening tools used. It was present in a wide variety of professional populations, cutting across gender and ethnic backgrounds. There may be a number of factors such as early emotional experiences or, for women and women of color, embedded societal biases that often cloud accomplishments.

Olivia struggled with a critical internal dialog that dogged her during collaborative projects and after performance reviews with her boss. She tried to follow the advice of well-meaning friends, but positive affirmations in the bathroom mirror were not working. When her distress became significant enough to impact how she felt on a daily basis, she sought help and came to see me. And this is not surprising: imposter syndrome is associated with feelings of anxiety, depression, and burnout.

Olivia objectively understood that she was uber-qualified for her job. But emotionally she was stuck in a loop, and trying to talk herself out of it was not the way forward. Instead here are three approaches that did work for her—and may work for you too.

1. Label your thoughts.

Instead of avoiding unpleasant imposter thoughts and feelings, embrace them—but in a specific way. Since the emotions are already soaking up your time and energy, purposefully bring them into the room with you in a consistent, non-judgmental way.

Write down what you say to yourself when the thoughts appear, as if you are conducting an interview and gathering facts. In Olivia's case, she put her imposter statements down on paper instead of having them float around endlessly in her head. Research shows that giving our emotional experiences a name, or affect labeling, may help our rational brains manage them more effectively.

2. Mindfully observe your thoughts.

Once you are familiar and maybe even more comfortable with your imposter feelings, purposefully sit with them. It seems counterintuitive, but the more we are exposed to a feared object, the less scary it becomes. Think of how this worked with something that was initially foreign to you as a kid, like learning to swim or ride a bike.

Olivia's assignment was to become a mindful observer of her own thoughts. She intentionally read her list of imposter statements aloud for five minutes three times a day, at a set time, gradually increasing up to 10 minutes.

"It felt strange to say the words out loud at first," she admitted. But over time, the thoughts began to sound a little more ordinary and feel a little less intimidating.

3. Investigate your thoughts.

When the imposter thoughts feel more manageable and less overwhelming, it becomes easier to negotiate with them. This step asks you to question negative assumptions and become a private investigator into your own thoughts. Here are the ways Olivia did this:

• I asked her to look for concrete, specific examples that support the idea that she is, in fact, competent at her work. Olivia found several and I had her write them down.
• Next, I asked her to label any inaccurate thought patterns or cognitive errors she found, like all-or-nothing thinking. In this case, she identified a tendency to assume that one negative review meant that she was always seen negatively at work. Knowing this was a specific pattern made it easier for her to call it out and to view her impostor thoughts as just that: thoughts, not indisputable facts.
• Then I asked her to consistently pair alternate explanations with any work mistakes, such as "I'm not perfect, I'm just learning, and that's completely normal." To promote affect labeling, I had her write these down. It took repetition and intentional practice, but after a while, the new pairings began to gel as part of Olivia's new default mode.

Imposter syndrome happens to many of us along the way in work and life. We're all fallible and need to be able to grant ourselves appropriate wiggle room to learn and grow from our mistakes. By labeling, sitting with, and purposefully challenging the self-recrimination of imposter syndrome, we can get rid of unnecessary emotional deadweight and be freer to move ahead on our journeys.

Imposter Syndrome Essential Reads

Feeling Imposter Syndrome? Congratulations!

Imposter Syndrome and Adverse Childhood Experiences

*Names and identifying details are changed to protect client confidentiality.

*Disclaimer: All content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. If you need medical or psychological help, seek guidance from your own physician or licensed mental health clinician.