COMBATTING IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Photo credits: Lena Drapella

Impostor Syndrome affects many people in their professional context. When starting to address this issue on Social Media, head coaches of successful youth teams who had been in scene for over 10 years started reaching out, sharing their story of regularly feeling a bit of a fraud, or finding it hard to believe other people’s positive feedback. “There are just so many other great coaches in the industry. I find it hard to stop the comparison.”

A passionate climber shared that when she recently won a “fun competition”, she made her size responsible for the win. “I mean, I just and just made it into finals. I thought the other strong girls would just decide amongst themselves who’d win”.

Another professional climber doubted her abilities when non-sponsored (but still really strong) climbers could do climbs she couldn’t, asking herself, whether she was worthy of being a professional climber… and “what if someone realises I wasn’t as good?”

There are many many more stories I could share here. If you can relate, welcome to the Imposter Syndrome Club!

I’m myself probably not an innocent here. I’m currently working on a (subjectively) bigger projects… and it takes a lot of my time. And then, with Social Media and all the services and offers that are out there already, I keep finding myself comparing and doubting, whether what I was working on was really good enough.

Being a psychologist doesn’t make me immune to Impostor Syndrome (as it also doesn’t make me immune to fear of falling, fear of failing, lack of motivation, having bad days, social comparison, cognitive biases, etc.). The narrative of (mentally) strong, confident people never experiencing these things is wrong.

The difference however is, how we deal with these challenges. It’s what tools we have and develop to find strategies that help us. It’s the resilience of knowing that we will bounce back. The knowledge of how to take action – and taking it. Taking steps, by steps sometimes, to get out of these holes. Ourselves – or with professional help.

The question now is: how to better deal with Impostor Syndrome? Here are a few tips:

1. Self-perception vs. external perception

How we perceive ourselves sometimes differs from the image that our fellow human beings have of us. If these perceptions diverge significantly, we speak in psychology of a self-image/other-image incongruence, which also plays a significant role in the development of the impostor phenomenon. A false self-image can result in us underestimating ourselves and not trusting ourselves to do things we could actually do. The clearer our self-image is and the better it matches the images of others, the more likely we are to be able to control our behaviour.

In order to get to know your image of others, you can ask people close to you how they see and perceive you. It is very important to get honest, high-quality and constructive feedback. So think wisely about who you give permission to give you feedback. Actively ask your trusted person about specific situations in which you have exhibited a particular behaviour – preferably as specifically as possible.

Here it is helpful to break down the feedback. Ask your counterpart to share their perceptions first (e.g. "You climbed impressively on the last project") and then address how you come across to them (e.g. "You come across as ambitious and determined"). Feedback should always be polite, positive and appreciative.

How are you perceived by your peers? Have you ever dared to ask?

2. Focus on your strengths and value

Concentrate on what you do well: No one is good at everything (every top climber has their weaknesses!) nor can someone know everything (all coaches know more in one field, less in others). Keep a list of your accomplishments, the compliments people give you, and the acknowlegdements you receive. When in doubt, read the list to remind yourself of your achievements. The goal isn't to become overconfident. Feelings of self-importance and perfectionism are building blocks for Impostor Syndrome, and learning to let them go helps reduce your fears and concerns about being considered a fraud.

3. No one is perfect

Realize that no one is perfect: You can strive for perfection, but know it is an unachievable goal. You can admire someone for their achievements but do not forget you have your own list of great qualities. Note that being wrong or failing does not make you a fake or phony. Eventually, even top successful climbers, such as Janja Garnbret, don't win every competition (even if she wins most of them).

For many of us, it can help to get professional support to get out of these holes. It is never wrong to start working on your mindset with a professional. If you want to level up your mindset, schedule yourself your first free appointment to get to know us, how we work and how we could work on this together. 💙