Impostor Syndrome is real! Have you ever come across someone who never feels good enough no matter their achievements, feels the need to be perfect, always anxious, gives excuses for something that they consciously did well at, or puts themselves down whenever a compliment is given to them, that person most likely has Impostor Syndrome.
Impostor Syndrome is a deep feeling of doubt concerning your accomplishments in certain or various aspects of your life. It’s a feeling of not being good enough no matter what you have achieved. People with the impostor syndrome doubt their skills and talents. They think their skills and talents are substandard. Even though people admire their abilities, they still feel as if one day, people will wake up to the reality that they’re not as talented or skilled. When they’re in a business where they offer services to people for money, they feel like they’re frauds. This feeling is not cured by their accomplishments or professional skill set.
People with the Impostor Syndrome usually develop it due to their upbringing or due to past failure.
If someone grew up in an environment where they were punished for every little mistake, they were never allowed to make decisions for themselves and their independence was highly restricted, they can develop the Impostor Syndrome. Also, if they had parents whose attitude to them fluctuated based on their accomplishments, they can develop the Impostor Syndrome.
If someone tried so hard to achieve a particular thing or started being successful at something but later failed at it, they may develop the Impostor Syndrome. If someone is around people who are unpredictable in the way they relate with them, they can develop the Impostor Syndrome.
If someone constantly failed at something but suddenly became successful at it, they will think they got successful out of sheer luck, and will be constantly afraid of failing at it again. This is a major sign of Impostor Syndrome.
Effects of Impostor Syndrome:
- Being unable to be happy despite successful achievements
- Sensitivity to constructive criticism
- Inability to accept compliments
- Fear of any form of attention
- Constant anxiety or fear of failing at things that they have the skill and ability for
- Easily intimidated even in areas where they’re obviously doing better than others
- Depression
- Lack of drive or motivation
- Negative self-thoughts and negative self-talk
- Paranoia
Sometimes, people with Impostor Syndrome act below themselves. They do not carry themselves with confidence. They often give off a demeaning impression of themselves in order to justify the feeling of being unworthy of whatever they have achieved. They get scared whenever they achieve anything great and get even more scared at trying to achieve those things again for fear of failing the next time.
Whenever something good happens to someone with this syndrome, they feel as though they should not be fully happy because something bad is about to happen. Even if they want to rejoice, their mind keeps telling them that the happy moment they’re having is unreal, and they shouldn’t focus on being happy because something bad is going to happen that will steal their joy. Sometimes if they’ve achieved something that others find hard to achieve, they feel very undeserving to the point of blaming themselves for the misfortunes of other people.
The Impostor Syndrome is triggered whenever someone is a first-timer at something like starting a new job, getting into a new school, getting into a new relationship, or starting a new business. The Impostor Syndrome is triggered even worse when someone succeeds at doing something they haven’t tried before or offering great value in something they don’t have the professional skill set for.
Being plagued by this syndrome is terrible because you lose the ability to be happy and fulfilled about the things that should give you joy.
