Welcome to a new year of great possibilities and achievements dear teenagers! In order to achieve tremendous results this year, we will focus on a topic which will help you eliminate any obstacle likely to hinder you. The topic is Impostor Syndrome. I hear someone asking what it means. Another may be asking how to end it, some others wondering what could cause it. Well, let’s delve right into it.
What Is Impostor Syndrome?
The term impostor syndrome was first coined in the 70’s to describe people who inwardly felt as though they had faked their achievements, attributing their success to luck, being likable, or other factors unrelated to their knowledge or skills. These feelings of fraudulence create additional pressure on the “impostor” to maintain the appearance of being capable, smart and competent. It is sometimes referred to as imposterism, the impostor phenomenon, or as having a fraud complex. Impostor syndrome could be thought of as a specific type of shame, or feelings of being inadequate or “not good enough.” Impostor syndrome describes a specific type of shame that shows up in educational or professional settings and involves not feeling smart enough or skilled enough to succeed. People with impostor syndrome assume that other people have overestimated them and their abilities and worry about needing to keep pretending to preserve their reputation. Working hard to appear confident and capable while secretly feeling the opposite creates a lot of stress and anxiety in people with imposterism, making them more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, professional burnout, and low self-esteem. While many people rely on time, experience, and achievement to build confidence in their career, this may not work for people with impostor syndrome. Because of their tendency to discredit their achievements, people with this issue can even feel more insecure, anxious, and fraudulent when they succeed.
How Common Is Impostor Syndrome?
While the exact prevalence is unknown, it is estimated that 70% of people will struggle with impostor syndrome at least once in their lifetime, making it highly common.Some people struggle with more pervasive and chronic forms of impostor syndrome while others will experience it situationally. Impostor syndrome can happen to anyone, even people who are seen as leaders in their industry. In fact, a number of highly successful people have admitted to struggling with it. The very best have recovered. So teenagers can also recover from it with care, counseling, guidance and practice. Impostor syndrome is not considered a mental health disorder so no list of specific symptoms is used to identify this issue. However, extensive research has been conducted on people struggling with impostor syndrome and several characteristic patterns have been identified. Teenagers with impostor syndrome often describe the following experiences.
1. Feeling Like a “Fraud” or “Impostor”
2. Anxiety About Being Discovered.
3. Discrediting their honest Contributions
4. Feelings of Guilt or Fear When Successful
5. Underestimation.
6. Self-Limitation
7. Self-Criticism.
8. Faking Confidence
9. Discomfort With Praise & Recognition.
10. Inability to Ask for Help & Advice.
How to End The Impostor Syndrome
1. Disclose How You’re Feeling to Someone You Trust. Especially Your Parents.
2. Ask Your Counselors for Help
3. Remember That No One Is Exempt From Making Mistakes
4. Change Your Definition of Failure & Success
5. Choose positive Thoughts
6. Don’t Qualify Your Success – Recognize Your Accomplishments
7. Learn To Accept Sincere Compliments.
8. Limit Your Social Media Use
9. Test the Confirmation Bias by Finding Evidence of Your Competence
10. Don’t Let Fear Hold You Back
11. Engage in Creative Problem-Solving
12. Understand that God has made us more than conquerors and He wants us to portray His Excellence because His Excellence is in us. We carry His Beauty and every Glood gift we have comes from Him. Always read and study your Bible for the renewing of your mind. In conclusion, it is important to note that you affirm and reaffirm your positive self talk. Believe in yourself and your abilities. Believe that you are more than enough and see your self scaling through every obstacle with the excellent.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.