How Anxiety can lead us "Out of the frying pan and into the fire"
Impostor Syndrome is a common problem that if not addressed can have a very negative impact on your life. Impostor Syndrome is a feeling of inadequacy and not feeling good enough despite evidence of success. Impostor syndrome is driven by an underlying fear of not being good enough and of others discovering this. This fear leads to self-doubt and worry, and results in various efforts to try avoid being found out. Anxiety will be triggered in situations in which you could be judged, such as at work, performance-related situations, and in relationships. When triggered, efforts are made to try to prevent others from seeing you as incompetent or not good enough, such as being a perfectionist, excessive working, playing safe and cautious, procrastination and overthinking. When the feared outcome doesn't occur then this can be attributed to your excessive efforts or luck rather than to your skills and abilities and this contributes to the maintenance of the impostor syndrome beliefs and feelings. As successes don't fit with feelings of impostor syndrome, they are likely to be attributed to external factors or downplayed and dismissed.
Anxiety is trying to protect you
If you suffer with Impostor Syndrome it makes sense your anxiety will be triggered in situations where it perceives you could get found out. Your anxiety is part or your threat system (fight/flight/freeze response) and it is trying to keep you safe from any threats or potential threats, so it is just doing it's job. If there is a chance you could fail at something, make a mistake, make a fool of yourself, then it will get triggered and will be trying to protect you from this feared outcome. The problem though, is that whilst anxiety's intentions are good, it often get things wrong and there are a lot of false alarms. Anxiety operates under a better safe than sorry approach, so it doesn't just show up when there is danger, it shows up any time there might be a perceived danger or threat. This means there are a lot of false alarms and the world can feel a much more threatening place than it is in reality. In addition, the responses that anxiety leads to can unintentionally make things worse. With our threat focused attention we can be so busy focusing on what we don't want and what we are trying to get away from, that we engage in behaviours that actually make things worse.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire - The Squirrel!
I witnessed an interesting example of this in nature whilst out running. The (almost) victim of this illustration was a squirrel.
Whilst out running I noticed a squirrel ahead of me. The squirrel saw me running in its direction and experienced this as threatening and went into flight mode and started to run away from me. Unfortunately for the squirrel, as it ran away from me it ran towards a woman walking her dog. On seeing the dog the squirrel changed direction again. Unfortunately for the squirrel, this second change of direction took it into the road and into the path of a large van. Fortunately for the squirrel the driver saw it and was able to slow down enough for the squirrel to make it across the road. The squirrel's desperate flight from perceived dangers, while instinctively aimed at self-preservation, ultimately led it into a more dangerous situation. This highlights a key aspect of imposter syndrome where the attempts to avoid the discomfort of feeling inadequate can often lead to behaviours that unintentionally reinforce those very feelings and beliefs.
Whilst our efforts at reducing and getting away from the anxiety triggered by impostor syndrome are unlikely to take us into actual danger, the coping strategies we employ to protect us and feel safer are likely to make things worse in the long-term as they reinforce the beliefs and fears and the need to keep employing these strategies. Common responses to impostor feelings include perfectionism, excessive working, playing it safe, procrastination and overthinking. These efforts can cause a lot of extra stress and can impact on our sleep, energy levels, motivation and mood. We are likely to avoid situations and opportunities that might trigger these feelings as the thought of doing things can feel overwhelming or too much. The costs trying to get rid of and away from the impostor feelings can really add up which only serves to make us feel worse about ourselves.
The Impact of the Struggle with Impostor Syndrome
Imposter syndrome and the efforts at managing it can have a significant impact on your life. It can lead to burnout from overworking, decreased job satisfaction, and the avoidance of new opportunities that could further your career. The constant anxiety and self-doubt can also take a toll on your self-esteem and overall mental well-being.
For example, someone with imposter syndrome might engage in perfectionistic behaviours, such as spending hours agonising over a report, carrying out excessive research to make sure they haven't missed anything, rewriting it multiple times to ensure it's flawless. They might also work excessively, consistently staying late and working on weekends, even when the workload is manageable, in an attempt to prove their worth. This can lead to burnout and exhaustion. In social situations, they might avoid expressing their opinions or taking initiative, fearing that they will say or do something foolish and be exposed as a fraud.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) offers a powerful approach to breaking free from these patterns. CBT can help you better understand your Impostor Syndrome and how it is being maintained. By increasing awareness of the problematic patterns of thinking and behaviour that you are engaging in you can learn ways to interrupt and break these patterns, and start building patterns that are in line with your goals and how you would like to be living your life. You can learn skills that help you step back from the difficult thoughts and feeling, and learn ways to reduce the impact and influence they are having on your behaviour. Develop skills in self-compassion, learning to treat yourself and your feelings more compassionately helping to reduce your self-criticism and blaming.
By breaking these patterns and strengthening more helpful and effective patterns this will change the way you will think and feel about yourself.
Remember, imposter syndrome is a common experience, and with the right tools and support, you can overcome these feelings and recognise your true worth. If you identify with the feelings described in this post, consider exploring CBT techniques or seeking guidance from a therapist.