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One place that Imposter Syndrome thrives is in isolation. It loves being alone with you whether that’s in a physical space or keeping your negative thoughts and feelings of inadequacy to yourself.
So it’s no surprise if you’ve found your Inner Imposter getting louder over the past few weeks during this pandemic. Those negative beliefs we hold about ourselves – we’re not good enough, productive enough, skilled enough, etc are likely to be worsened as we find ourselves in stressful and uncertain times. It’s like we’ve been feeding our inner Imposter some Miracle Grow with the perfect conditions to flourish and grow.
So, here are 4 things you can do to quieten your Imposter during this period of isolation:
1. Be mindful of your negative thoughts – one thing you can try is the paperclip challenge. In the morning fill one pocket with paperclips and throughout the day every time you notice a negative thought about yourself, put a paperclip in the other pocket. At the end of the day count how many paperclips you have shifted across. You will then have an awareness and from that place, you can start to work on those negative thought patterns
2. Talk it out – as I said earlier Imposter Syndrome thrives in isolation so even though we’re at home, it doesn’t mean we can’t connect with someone and talk it out. In fact this is the perfect antidote. Find someone who you can trust and just ask them to listen. Once we start to talk, the hold that it has over us starts to loosen. It can no longer thrive in isolation as it is no longer isolated
3. Give yourself a pep talk – having words of encouragement visible is one way to give yourself a pep talk through the day. Grab some post its and write some statements such as I can do this, I am doing my best, I am capable, I am good enough. You don’t have to worry about your colleagues seeing them so stick them everywhere. By your workspace, in the fridge, next to the kettle, the bathroom cabinet. Places where you find yourself visiting each day in isolation. You have approx. 70,000 thoughts a day so sprinkle your day with some kind reminders
4. Finish your day strong – take some time each night before you go to bed to write down 3 things you did well that day. By doing this you are creating an evidence journal to prove to your Inner Imposter that it’s opinion is not fact.
The key thing to remember is if you are experiencing higher levels of Imposter Syndrome right now, know that it is normal to feel this way in these circumstances, You are not alone. Just know that whilst you are in isolation, you can change the environment so that your Inner Imposter cannot thrive. You might be physically in isolation but that doesn’t mean to say that your Inner Imposter has to be too. Kick it out of isolation!