Normalizing Imposter Syndrome: Tips for Fighting Back
“Don’t talk yourself out of the rooms you’ve earned a right to be in.”
- @JoelakaMag, Twitter
Let’s talk about imposter syndrome.
It’s quite possible you have never heard the term, whereas some of us are all too familiar with it. Imposter syndrome is that nagging sense that you don’t belong here. It’s a feeling that you will be found out as a fraud. That your program has made a mistake by inviting you to complete your doctorate with them. That all of your hard work and preparation means very little. That you, on some intrinsic level, are simply not good enough. All of this is false. Imposter syndrome is a self-defeating prophecy founded on doubt and fear of failure.
Often, as graduate students, the first introduction to imposter syndrome comes in our first semester of a program. If we’re lucky, it is being talked about openly and honestly. Imposter syndrome is well-recognized by the field of psychology but often under-discussed in academic spaces. Even when the elephant is called out in the room, our first reaction is to avoid it. I sometimes wonder if students feel they have to draw from fear of failure and perfectionism as fuel for productivity. But, imposter syndrome actually hinders productivity and contributes to poorer mental health. So why aren’t we talking about it sooner? Why are undergrads coming into programs so unfamiliar with the term?
I‘m going to be honest with you. Even though I know all of this, imposter syndrome rears its ugly head for me on a regular basis. Good grades and fancy awards do not alleviate it. Sometimes they actually help fuel the perfection monster. Fear of “not being good enough” causes me to lapse into anxiety-driven workaholism. In that unhealthy space, I neglect my mental and physical health. I neglect true connection with others. I feel a worrisome and aversive push to always be an expert in some way. Ultimately, I have found the best remedy for this is talking about it. In every instance where I have tried to build space for normalizing imposter syndrome, I have found that I am not the only one. If so many of us feel this way, does this mean we’re all frauds? The answer is no. We have all earned the right to be here. No university is going to invest time and effort into inviting a student who does not have the potential to succeed. Essentially, “don’t talk yourself out of rooms you’ve earned the right to be in”.
For people of color, there can be an extra layer of complexity wrapped around imposter syndrome. Academic institutions were seemingly not built for us. Competition and individualism can run counter to our natural ways of being in the world. We find it hard to honor collaboration and collectivism. As a Native woman, I know the history of how academic institutions were used to harmfully assimilate and disenfranchise my ancestors from their cultures. I find it difficult to bring myself fully into some academic spaces for this reason. Students may experience systemic racism and microaggressions that echo the view that we don’t belong here. We may feel invisible and silenced in classrooms, in meetings, in syllabi, in readings. We often lack representation. We look for other people like us and see few. We may believe we have to work twice as hard to be as “good” as our White counterparts. We may also feel something like survivor guilt because we have increased access to resources while our families and communities continue to struggle.
So, let’s talk about it.
Let’s normalize and honor our experiences. Let’s draw on, and build, community to work through it...together. If we start early, we can recognize imposter syndrome and deal with it in healthier ways that alleviate isolation, loneliness, frustration, and the myriad other emotions that arise. I promise you, this will be a much-needed skill to develop as you move from graduate school to internship, and further along your career path.
Most of all, I want to say that you belong here. It may be hard to believe that at times, but building community means I can believe that for you...even when you can’t.
Some tips for fighting back:
Remember that imposter syndrome is common and that you are not alone.
Talk to people (e.g., mentors, lab mates, peers, people outside of your program) about your experiences with imposter syndrome.
Seek community rather than isolation. We need you in our communities. Help us build that dialogue for new students.
Throw perfectionism out the door. No one is perfect. Read that again...no one is perfect.
Reflect on your growth and progress often, rather than focusing only on to-do lists.
Understand that we work in a highly-evaluative environment and those evaluations do not equal your worth.
Recognize that you bring something unique and valuable to the table.
Practice healthy coping and attend to your basic needs. This includes your mental and physical health.
Recognize and work through feelings of doubt and worthlessness before they contribute to burn out.
