Have you ever had the feeling that everyone else is ‘crushing it’ except you? Or a nagging thought when you’ve accomplished something amazing and yet you feel it only happened due to sheer luck or being helped by other people? If every external indicator is that you earned your success, and yet you feel like you've faked your way into the room, you may be struggling with 'impostor syndrome'.
Impostor syndrome is at work when you feel you somehow don’t deserve to be where you find yourself, that you don’t belong, whether it’s at a university, as a manager at your place of work or in a relationship. It produces a deep sense of doubt about your own capability; you feel like you’re a fraud and live with the fear that you’ll be discovered or exposed as incompetent or incapable.
Most studies have shown it’s more common in women and disproportionately affects underrepresented minorities and immigrants.
This phenomenon can prevent you from taking risks that may jeopardise your current position; it drains your confidence in your ability to achieve your goals and succeed in life; you end up either overworking to prove yourself, or self-sabotaging to avoid feelings of inadequacy; you can’t enjoy success because you feel it’s unearned; you underestimate yourself while overestimating the capacities of others. According to authors Lisa and Richard Orbe-Austin, it can “feed feelings of anxiety, low self-esteem, depression and frustration due to the thoughts and behaviors that result.”
In this episode, Ayanda and Dambudzo take a layperson's look and dive into the impostor phenomenon, dissecting it and breaking down how it affects people, derailing them from the joy, peace and comfort of the Lord.
As we are not professional therapists, if you're struggling with impostor syndrome, or what you think may be impostor syndrome, seek the help of a professional or consult some of the resources recommended below.
Resources:
Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life. By Drs Lisa Orbe-Austin and Richard Orbe-Austin
Unlocking Your Authentic Self: Overcoming Impostor Syndrome, Enhancing Self-confidence, and Banishing Self-doubt. By Dr. Jennifer Hunt
Music:
Special thanks to Stevener - "Black excellence 600"
