Instant Offices, in response to the 155% increase in searches for “Imposter Syndrome” in the past week, has examined what it is and how we might overcome it by 2025.
Understanding imposter syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is intense self doubt about one’s success. Imposter syndrome is a persistent belief that you’re a fraud waiting to be exposed, that your achievements aren’t valid or deserved and that you’re not as competent as others seem to think.
Impostor syndrome is a common problem that affects women more than men. Women who are paralysed by self-doubt, despite evidence of their success, are more likely than men to think they are intellectual frauds. This stress of waiting for peers to find out can cause anxiety, burnout, and an increase in unhappiness.
Inequality in the workplace and pay gaps may be factors that play a role when determining why women experience imposter’s syndrome more often than men. While the UK scores well in global terms, the gender gap is large. The gender gap in the workforce is 79, and the equality index is only 74. This shows that there’s still much room for improvement.
- Overemphasis of Criticism: Concentrating excessively on negative feedback while downplaying the positive can reinforce feelings that you are inadequate. It is possible to feel less competent if you tend to focus on negative feedback.
- Comparisons with Others: Comparing one’s accomplishments to others can lead to a sense of inadequacy. Individuals may feel inferior to their peers.
- Lack Of Recognition: If individuals do not receive enough recognition for their achievements and efforts, they might doubt their abilities. They may also feel that they aren’t truly deserving.
- Pressure from Social Media: Comparing your real life to others’ carefully curated pictures and achievements can lead to feelings of inadequacy.
Beating imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is not a permanent condition. It’s a response to circumstances, stress and unrealistic expectations. Some of the best ways to overcome it include:
- Accept Praise and Know What You Are Worth: Do not shy away from compliments and praise. Accept your accomplishments and, if necessary, write them down. You can’t convince yourself to be confident about your job if you don’t have the evidence on paper. Your work should speak for itself, and you should let others know it.
- Stop Thinking like an Imposter. Recognize self-defeating thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations. Stop thinking of yourself like an imposter to stop feeling that way.
- Do not seek perfection: Quit thinking that if your job isn’t perfect in every aspect, you are a failure. Recognize that facing challenges and losing is an important part of growing.
- Know That You Are Not Alone. Overachievers are more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome, whereas underachievers internalise failure less. You’re not alone if you constantly worry about being inadequate. Most successful people over-analyse themselves.
Instant Offices: Instant Offices, the largest office advisory service in the world, is dedicated to helping our clients find the perfect flexible workspace – no matter where their business takes them.
The first time this post appeared was on HR News.
