CAMDEN — By TAMMY FRAZIER
Managing editor
I was talking with someone recently and the person was talking about the insane schedule at her job and she stated, with a laugh: “One of these days, they’re gonna figure out that I don’t know what I’m doing.”
We laughed about it and I knew she wasn’t serious, but it made me think of something I heard in a recent podcast: That some people seriously have what’s called “impostor syndrome.”
The website fastcompany.com states that this syndrome makes a person - especially high achievers - feel as if they are hiding a “dirty little secret: Deep down they feel like complete frauds” and that their accomplishments the result of sheer luck. It makes a person feel as if he or she is “an inadequate and incompetent failure, despite evidence that indicates you’re skilled and quite successful.
In short, it’s a hot mess of harmfulness.
Hmmm. I like that statement: “a hot mess of harmfulness,” and I think it is harmful because - as I’ve talked about before - it can lead to a person getting ‘into your head’ so much that you begin to ‘spin out,’ or become swallowed up in that vortex of the “emotional crazy eight” that begins to feel like an endless loop.
And according to time.com. around 70% of people experience these impostor feelings, according to an article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science.
But the most surprising thing to me as I researched details about this syndrome was the number of successful people who have revealed that they have the syndrome, according to entrepreneur.com: Tennis star Serena Williams; actress/producer Tina Fey; author/activist Maya Angelou; singer/actress Lady Gaga; actress Natalie Portman; and multi-Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks. And instyle.com states that other celebrities who suffer from the syndrome are multi-Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep; Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong’o; award-winning actress Kate Winslet; actor Don Cheadle; and Denzel Washington.
What?
Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington have suffered from Impostor Syndrome?
Accomplished celebriites having this syndrome seems unlikely, but a book by Dr. Valerie Young - as shared at fastcompany,com - states that this syndrome is often seen in people who who are:
• Perfectionists.
• Feel they have to be Superwoman or Superman.
• “The Natural Genius.”
• “The soloist, or
• “The Expert.”
If you feel that you have this syndrome, which one - or more - of these categories fits you?
And what can be done about it?
First of all, accept your abilities and accomplishments. Give yourself some credit and stop overthinking things.
Young’s book, “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It,” outlines the symptoms shown in each of the categories listed above.
Young has a series of questions that should help reveal which category - or categories - a person may fall:
Perfectionist
• Have you ever been accused of being a micromanager?
• Do you have great difficulty delegating? Even when you’re able to do so, do you feel frustrated and disappointed in the results?
• When you miss the (insanely high) mark on something, do you accuse yourself of “not being cut out” for your job and ruminate on it for days?
• Do you feel like your work must be 100% perfect, 100% of the time?
Superwoman/Superman:
• Do you stay later at the office than the rest of your team, even past the point that you’ve completed that day’s necessary work?
• Do you get stressed when you’re not working and find downtime completely wasteful?
• Have you let your hobbies and passions fall by the wayside, sacrificed to work?
• Do you feel like you haven’t truly earned your title (despite numerous degrees and achievements), so you feel pressed to work harder and longer than those around you to prove your worth?
The Natural Genius
• Do you have a track record of getting “straight A’s” or “gold stars” in everything you do?
• Were you told frequently as a child that you were the “smart one” in your family or peer group?
• Do you dislike the idea of having a mentor, because you can handle things on your own?
• When you’re faced with a setback, does your confidence tumble because not performing well provokes a feeling of shame?
• Do you often avoid challenges because it’s so uncomfortable to try something you’re not great at?
The Soloist:
• Do you firmly feel that you need to accomplish things on your own?
• “I don’t need anyone’s help.” Does that sound like you?
• Do you frame requests in terms of the requirements of the project, rather than your needs as a person?
The Expert
• Do you shy away from applying to job postings unless you meet every single educational requirement?
• Are you constantly seeking out trainings or certifications because you think you need to improve your skills in order to succeed?
• Even if you’ve been in your role for some time, can you relate to feeling like you still don’t know “enough”?
Maybe we ticked off the boxes in more than one category. If so, that’s exhausting.
And the fastcompany.com article states that you are being unfair and unkind to yourself by placing such high - and usually unachievable - goals on your work performance.
So how do you ‘slay this dragon’?
An article by Michael Lee Howard-Mayhew at feelbetterwellness.com states that ways to conquer - or at least ‘put in time out’ - these feelings are to:
• Call it out and change your thoughts. Just ‘flip the switch’ when you start thinking negative thoughts.
• Remember that you have a role in your success. You didn’t get where you are by being bad at something. (Makes sense, right?)
• Realize that you are not alone in your feelings. “We are all just trying to be the best we can be,” Mayhew said.
• Make a list and own it. When you feel you lack something, make a list of the things at which you are successful and remind yourself of your worth.
It may seem oversimplified, but it sounds like a good plan to me.