Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome (noun)
the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.
Hasn’t everyone experienced this at some point in their working or sporting lives?
I certainly recall those feelings of self-doubt at the peak of my rugby ‘career’. I would make rep team after rep team, I would captain, vice captain and be ‘elected’ to leadership groups. I would win awards at end of season presentation evenings, and yet I felt like a fraud; like none of it was due to my hard work and/or talent, but instead a bout of luck! Mum would proudly talk of my accolades, classmates knew me as the girl who played rugby, and yet I always thought that everyone believed I was a much better player than I actually was. I had this underlying anxiety that one day I would be ‘found out’. Don’t get it twisted, I wanted to be the best. I put in the work, I trained hard, ate right for the most part, constantly googling different plays and techniques, or watching old games I found on YouTube to study different positions, and I’d daydream about rugby all day. Yet I never felt like I was good enough to stand next to my truly inspiring team mates. Why though?? Looking back now I feel like I hindered my own potential with this irrational and unsubstantiated fear when I should have been my own cheerleader, praising my achievements which were, let’s be realistic, a direct result of my hard work.
How Common is Imposter Syndrome?
If you’re thinking “Oh shit, I’ve got this” - don’t worry most of us have experienced feeling like this at some point - 70% of us in fact, according to a researcher in the field. It is not recognised as a psychiatric disorder, but it is very real! Most research in the area focuses on high achievers who fail to internalise their successes, and burnout spectacularly due to their strive for perfectionism.
What about the rest of us - have you ever been harassed by your own internal monologue:
I’m not good enough
Everyone else is smarter / better than me
Why should anyone listen to me?
A Gender Issue?
Early research into the phenomenon saw prevalence in successful, professional women. I would hazard a guess that this would be due to the nature of a patriarchal society that condition girls and women to think that this is not their place. Have a think about how young boys and girls are treated differently - boys are encouraged to display leadership qualities, assertiveness, strength and receive (in my experience far too much) praise for doing the bare minimum. Girls tend to be stuck with carrying out societal norms and stereotype expectations of caring for family. By pursuing a successful, professional career, they are going against the grain, and what they have been taught which will likely bring about thoughts and feelings of self-doubt.
Side note: I praise those of my generation who are raising their kids to be whoever the frick they want - and if you want to like both princess unicorns and barbies AND dinosaurs and racing cars , that’s OK!
Other side note: can we stop telling boys that they shouldn’t cry, or telling men to ‘man-up’? It’s disgusting and has led to not only poor mental health in men, but maladaptive coping strategies like the self-medication of drugs and alcohol (which only makes symptoms of depression worse) largely due to the fact that they are conditioned to think they cannot seek out support (we say it’s OK for women to do this) and can tragically lead to suicidal behaviours. Just stop - try some empathy.
OK, Back to the Syndrome…
In recent years, it has been reported that men too, experience symptoms of imposter syndrome and has been associated with introverted personality types, and perfectionists that set impossibly high, unrealistic standards for themselves. Evidence suggests that it reduces with age (and wisdom?), and is associated with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and social dysfunction. Psychologists have offered their ways of treating symptoms of imposter syndrome, largely based on the premise of VALIDATION. The way you feel is valid (regardless of whether it is true or not) and it certainly helps to talk to someone about your very valid thoughts and feelings to work through them and take control of them.
Attack is the best form of defence
Let’s drown that imposter syndrome before it has the chance to drag us under. That was a little aggressive, but hey - I mean business.
Reframing our negative thoughts
We all have that wee voice in our heads - the overly critical, judge-y one that has an opinion on everything we do. This voice is louder in some people than others, and has varying levels of control or influence. Give this voice a name and call them out when they’re being a dick - bloody Depresso Dave is at it again. Shut up, Dave! I’ve got work to do. Dave will try to put a negative spin on everything - you need to call this out and reframe it. “Kirst, you’re a bloody idiot - you messed up that presentation so bad - you are crap at public speaking and should never do it again!”. No mate, I recognise that I was underprepared for this workshop - I did not give myself enough time to write and practice the presentation before delivering, and the research I did was not as robust as expected from my stakeholders. Next time, I will set aside time in my diary to sufficiently prepare, prioritise and practice before heading in.
Power Posing!
Frick, I love this one. Since the drop of Amy Cuddy’s TedTalk in 2012, titled ‘Your body language may shape who you are’, I am obsessed with her low-tech life hack that can make you feel more powerful - on a biological level! By simply striking a pose for 2 minutes, you can actually change your biology to make you feel more powerful. Her research, conducted at Harvard University concluded that participants who held primitive, animal-like, high power poses for two minutes immediately before a stressful task (a simulated job interview) performed significantly better than those who demonstrated low-power, small, self-protected poses. They reported feeling more powerful, and - get this - found that their levels of testosterone (hormone associated with dominance and power) had increased, and their levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) decreased. How cool is that? So next time you are facing a stressful situation, take yourself to the bathroom and hold a wonder woman pose with your arms on your hips, chest up, chin raised, or what I like to call ‘flying V!’ pose (Mighty Ducks - IYKYK) for two minutes and then GO SLAY KINGS, QUEENS & NON-BINARY MONARCHS!
Build Resilience by visualising success
Visualising success in your workplace or on the big stage as an athlete can help us stay strong in the face of criticism (self or external). Knowing who we are, what we’re doing and why we are doing it helps us channel criticism as a source of learning and development. When we are sure of our quest, nothing can hold us back! Check out my previous blog posts on resilience and goal visualisation for more detail and advice on how to do this!
Take Home Message
Imposter Syndrome can stifle your flow. It can hinder your performance and stand in the way of you reaching your amazing potential. It’s time to take care of business, and kick that jerk into touch.
Get in touch to organise a Mindset Coaching Workshop or Class for your organisation, club or school!
Be kind to each other - Kirst
Kirsty McCall
Sports Therapist & Mindset Coach
Email: kirsty@scoutco.com.au Insta: @kirst_scoutco