Do you ever get impostor syndrome? It’s that fear and belief of being found out as a fake or phony in your work or even relationships and friendships. It can happen frequently despite having excellent skillsets and lots of experience. Some people still feel they don’t belong or don’t measure up. This can lead to anxiety, stress and even depression. I help people overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy in London. If you would love to kick this anxiety and start feeling more confident, get in touch today to find out about London hypnotherapy.
Would you love to overcome impostor syndrome?
It makes sense that some, who work with ultra-talented people, such as Olympians, executives, or celebrities, might feel their skillset doesn’t match up to theirs, which is where the feeling of being an imposter creeps in. But impostor syndrome can be a reality for people in all walks of life. Statistics show that women are more likely to experience this than men, though everybody will experience imposter syndrome at one time or another. Hypnotherapy can be a super helpful tool in changing mindset and helping self esteem and confident naturally grow to mirror the skills and experience that mean you will feel ‘good enough’ and stop comparing yourself to others too.
Dynamics within the family from an early age and societal stereotypes later on in life have been cited as contributing factors to feeling not good enough or that you aren’t valued or will be found out somehow. Even with remarkable educational and professional achievements, many people contend that they are not really smart, and anyone who thinks they are has been tricked somehow.
Symptoms of imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is characterised by self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy that may leave individuals fearing that they will eventually be exposed as fakes. Although not officially classified as a mental disorder, this state of mind can have adverse effects on one’s work and career if allowed to persist. It affects a wide range of people, regardless of their accomplishments. Many successful entrepreneurs and celebrities have shared their experiences on public platforms.
Several symptoms to look out for, include low self-esteem, dissatisfaction, anxiety, and doubting your accomplishments. It is not unusual for people who experience the syndrome to say how fake they feel doing a specific job or not deserving of a position. A person with impostor syndrome might set extreme goals and feel disappointed when they aren’t achieved. Common symptoms are:
- Self-doubt
- Self-sabotage
- Overachieving
- Fearing that you will not meet expectations
- Criticising your performance
- Crediting external factors for your success, such as luck, for example
- Being unable to evaluate your skills and competence
- Fear of failure
Overcome reasons for impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy in London
Various factors can lead to the development of the imposter phenomenon. For instance, you may have been brought up in a family that prioritised success or you were exposed to extreme levels of criticism and praise as you grew up. It is also common for people to feel like they are incapable or do not belong in a particular place when taking on a new responsibility, such as a promotion. If you always felt that love from parents was dependant on academic achievement, it can be common to carry this frame of mind into adulthood. You will always have a question mark about how ‘good’ you are when you don’t achieve well at work or elsewhere. Internalising the idea that you must achieve success in order for you to be accepted can lead to a vicious cycle that stems from childhood memories and creates anxiety.
Diagnosing imposter syndrome
Although imposter syndrome can motivate some people to achieve more in their lives, which is great, but this is usually outweighed by ongoing frustration, stress, dissatisfaction, anxiety and even depression. You may work much harder and longer than you need to or plan excessively to ensure that nobody discovers you’re a phony. If you work weekends and get stressed in meetings, you may have impostor syndrome. If you would like to overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy, I would recommend a few sessions to help you let go of this form of self-criticism and start leading a more relaxed and happy daily life, filled with more joy and confidence.
Often people with impostor syndrome enter an endless cycle of thinking that what they did achieve was down to being lucky or in the right place at the right time. The challenging aspect of all this is that performing well does not change how you feel. Even when you excel during a presentation or successfully host an event, that negative mindset means you keep questioning your self-worth. The more you attain, the more you feel like a con and wonder when it will all fall apart.
Questions to start kicking impostor syndrome
If you suspect that you have impostor syndrome, ask yourself some questions based on the following. Does this sound like you? Do you….?
- Minimise your expertise, including within areas where you are actually more competent than others
- Feel like you will eventually be found out as a fraud
- Become extremely sensitive to all forms of criticism
- Attribute your accomplishments to factors such as luck
- Stress over minor errors when you work
When thoughts are dominated by assuming you are an imposter or fraud, it is essential to identify practical ways to overcome them. The self-sabotage, self-doubt, and negativity that usually characterise the syndrome can adversely affect different aspects of your life. During sessions at my London hypnotherapy practice it is often not just about building confidence but challenging those negative labels you have given yourself. You are good enough!
How to overcome Imposter syndrome
Overcoming imposter syndrome involves facing those negative beliefs and challenging them. Consider whether you value yourself and why you feel the need to be perfect for gaining acceptance from other people. Here are a few helpful tips to overcome impostor syndrome:
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Change your mindset
Stop thinking like an imposter! Change the way you perceive fear, failure, and ability. If you encounter an opportunity that you think is out of your reach, rather than telling yourself you have no idea what is going on, take it as a chance to learn. There is no such thing as failure but rather an opportunity to learn how to do things better. Your value is not about results – you are good enough already. You are valuable and a good person whether you do a good presentation or write a good report or not. You were a valuable human being when you were born… that’s still 100% true today,
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Recognise the causes
Think about why you actually feel inadequate. Consider how experiences during childhood or at the workplace can affect your beliefs about yourself. You need to figure out how you feel about yourself and your skills to determine whether they are rooted in inner beliefs or other sources. Looking to childhood is extremely useful and important. Looking to childhood is an essential part of the hypnotherapy work I do with many people who come for sessions at my London practice. If we can look at the roots, we can more easily see how those are now playing out in the present and start new ways of thoughts and feelings filled with confidence and positive feelings about yourself. Focus on thoughts that inspire, guide, and preserve you instead of those that hold you back and discourage you.
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Understand that you are not unusual
It is natural for many individuals to feel unsure but instead of thinking you do not belong somewhere, accept that you face a new challenge that requires hard work. Thinking “Why am I not good enough” or “What is wrong with me?” is a normal experience but that doesn’t mean you should obsess over it. All great leaders and entrepreneurs started from square one and from a place of not knowing things. However, pause and be honest about how far you have come and that you are doing well too.
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Avoid comparisons
This is the big one. Stop comparing yourself to others. With each precious moment you waste on comparing yourself to someone else, you will probably find a reason to diminish anything you have achieved and fuel thoughts of not belonging or being inadequate. Stop comparing yourself to others. During interactions, it is a good idea to pay attention to what people are saying and learn from them rather than focus on whether they are better than you. Remember you are the equal of all others.
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Talk about your feelings
Therapy is among the recommended approaches to overcoming the symptoms and this is where my sessions to overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy can really help. It is useful for finding out where the beliefs you have about yourself come from. Share your negative thoughts with other people regarding how you feel. Unreasonable anxieties usually become worse when they are disguised and not discussed.
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Use social media sparingly
Excessive use of social media can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and imposter syndrome. This is often about comparing oneself to others, comparing where you are in life. Stop it now! Social media is an excellent tool for communication, networking, and gathering information. However, using it to compare yourself to others will work against you. Try a social media detox if you feel like your social media use and consumption is harming you.
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Take your time
Instead of doing everything correctly, take a step back, and do things at your pace. Reward yourself along the way and appreciate every moment you take an active step towards your goals. For instance, contributing an idea for a project means that you are getting involved in the process.
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Admit you have Impostor Syndrome
For the sake of your mental health, consider admitting that you have imposter syndrome. It’s ok, so many people have it. It’s not a sign of weakness or failure but just thoughts and feelings that need to be challenged. Get in touch to talk about how my overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy London sessions could help you.
The Journal of Behavioural Science found that high achieving people are actually exactly those who are most likely to have imposter syndrome. So, take a look at all your accomplishments to realise that this is just the impostor phenomenon and nothing more. Knowing your abilities is an important part of realising that you’re not an impostor. You don’t need to be a natural genius to have enough talent and skill to do a job. You are good enough just as you are!
Remember that usually it’s childhood family dynamics rather than your actual skills now causing imposter syndrome. So, if you have imposter feelings, consider whether your parents ever told you that you were bad, not good enough, or wrong a lot or simply had high expectations. As a child or teenager did you ever feel less than other kids or that you had to be popular, clever or talented?
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Challenge your inner critic
Your perceived fraudulence is merely a state of mind caused by your inner critic. The voice in your head is the reason why you have imposter syndrome. It might have been put in there by a well meaning parent, even a childhood bully, or a former co-worker, but now you unwittingly let the thoughts run through your mind as if they are all your own ideas.
You can overcome imposter syndrome by challenging your inner critic by replacing ruminating thoughts with happy or simply more realistic thoughts. Another tactic is to ask someone for feedback about your competence in your craft. You could also take a look at your accomplishments to see all the things you’ve done in your career that got you to this point. Looking at thoughts and challenging them is something I do frequently during sessions to overcome impostor syndrome using hypnotherapy in London.
Book sessions to overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy in London
Imposter syndrome affects people from all walks of life, including experienced academics, business owners, even politicians or Hollywood celebrities. If you ever feel that you don’t belong, aren’t good enough or that your success was just out of luck rather than due to your qualifications or talent, you probably have a bit of impostor syndrome. If you would like to overcome impostor syndrome with hypnotherapy in London, get in touch today to find out more and book an initial session.
