Have you ever felt like an imposter, like people believe or think you are much better than you think you really are? Let me tell you that it is extremely common. You are not an alien, in fact, statistics say that around 75 percent of us may suffer from im- poster syndrome at least once in our lifetime…

Even though these emotions are referred to as the “impostor syndrome “it does not mean we are crazy or even emotional- ly sick, it is just a healthy way to react to a stressful situation, especially in a new work environment or when we are facing a new task.

The imposter syndrome involves feelings of self-doubt. Makes you feel that you are incompetent despite your education, skills, or abilities. When we struggle with these feelings, we tend to believe we have been able to “cheat”, and convince others that we are something we aren’t -To make it short, a big bluff.

Struggling with the fear of being discovered as a fraud.

When you struggle with these thoughts you wonder if you even deserve all the compliments. It is as if you were feeling a conflict between your own self-perception and the way others perceive you. You just do not believe what is going on, you feel like a fraud and fear that at, one point or another, the other person will discover your true self. Any tiny mistake, you take it on yourself and just work to reinforce your own belief of lack of intelligence and ability.

The stress, direct effect of the fear of “being discovered” works

as gasoline for the cycle of anxiety. This mindset of “feeling less” hurts you and makes you perform in a less productive way. In fact, it enables your ability to think properly. It makes you even more vulnerable to those mistakes

Psychologists consider that there are some specific personali- ty traits that can push someone into this impostor syndrome, these are, insecurities, perfectionistic tendencies, and underes- timation among others.

Overcoming the feeling of being an imposter

There is a need to learn how to cope, deal and, if possible, re- solve feelings of self-doubt and the sense of being a fraud. To resolve these emotions, we need to understand them. We need to discover why we are experiencing self-doubts and fear of being discovered or exposed as fraud. When and what triggers them?

To overcome the feeling of being an imposter you need to work on your self-esteem. Identify your abilities. Acknowledge your expertise and accomplishments as a key. and use them as a re- minder. Focus on yourself. Compare yourself only with your-self.

Finally, understand that you will feel insecure, and you might make mistakes and face something new…Search for a mentor. Ask for help. Allow yourself to make mistakes at the beginning of a new experience. We all do!