Less than a minute / May 04, 2021
You’re in the car on your way to your first shift after 3 days off. Your heart is racing, the tears are welling and you cannot tune out that inner voice telling you that you shouldn’t be in the job you’re in and that very soon you’ll be exposed as the fraudster you are!
You’ve got a severe case of the dreaded ‘Imposter Syndrome’.
Signs and symptoms include:
- A persistent fear of being exposed or discovered as a fraud
- A feeling of not deserving success
- Dismissing good results as luck, timing or deception
Causes can include:
- Being a high-achieving individual (umm... medical professionals?!)
- Not acknowledging accomplishments
- Ignoring all evidence of competence
Treatment advice:
- Insight is essential here. In order to overcome this condition, you must first recognise when it is exacerbated.
- Stop and reflect: treat your successes like patients - give them your time, listen to them!
- Always be kind to yourself and be open to kindness from others - ask yourself, how would I speak to my best friend? Then, always speak to yourself that way!
- Fake it ‘til you make it - even if you don’t believe the good stuff, pretend you do and one day, you’ll realise that it’s become second-nature.
- Always remember that you are capable, successful, competent and on the right path.
- Just remember: Sista, you’ve got this x