Spell It: How to deal with imposter syndrome

Have you ever experienced a feeling of self-doubt and incompetence, and a growing dread that you’re going to be exposed as a fraud?

Click start to play today’s Spell It, where we find out most people are just ‘winging’ it, hoping to come out triumphant in the end.

Imposter syndrome affects all of us at some point or another, even people who are accomplished in their art or industry. According to a February 2023 report in US-based magazine The New Yorker, American poet Maya Angelou once said in an interview: “I have written 11 books, but each time I think, uh-oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.”

English author Neil Gaiman shared a similar experience in a commencement address that went viral. He described his fear of being apprehended by the ‘fraud police’, whom he imagined showing up at his door with a clipboard, to tell him he had no right living the life he was currently living.

Although both men and women sometimes feel inauthentic, and question their ability to be successful, both genders experience imposter syndrome differently. A 2018 study in the Netherlands-based journal Personality and Individual Differences found that men who feel like imposters have greater anxiety when they receive negative criticism, and consequently exert less effort. Women, however, do the opposite – they work twice as hard, battling the fear of being ‘discovered’ for not supposedly deserving the recognition or respect they receive.

So, how do you stop imposter syndrome from grinding all your efforts into dust? Here are a few tips, according to a March 2023 report in the US-based psychology news website Psychology Today:

1. Trust the process

Silence the negative thoughts in your head by listening to others’ feedback. If your boss recommends you for a promotion, it’s likely he isn’t doing it out of the goodness of his heart – there must be a solid reason behind it. If people demonstrate that they believe in you, it might be time to believe them.

2. Channel your inner detective

If you’re experiencing self-doubt, think like a detective. Gather evidence and consider the situation objectively. When you have concrete examples of your accomplishments, it will help you stop underestimating yourself, and make you realise that others are not overestimating you.

3. Look back

Since imposter syndrome deepens when we become overly focused on future challenges, it’s important to consider the past. How much have you grown since you first started? How far have you come from day one? Remember all the challenges you’ve overcome, and how, with every new year, you’re only growing from strength to strength.

4. Make a list

American psychologist Suzanne Imes, who is responsible for coining the term ‘imposter syndrome’ recommended creating a list with three columns. In the first, put down a list of things you’re not very good at, in the second, the things you are okay at, and in the third, all the things you’re very good at. Reminding yourself of your accomplishments will help reduce self-doubt.

Do you sometimes find yourself struggling with imposter syndrome? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.