The Shrinking Room: Understanding Impostor Syndrome Through ACT
Imagine the room you're currently in represents your world. At first, it feels spacious, full of possibility. But then, impostor syndrome rears its head. Doubts creep in like unwelcome furniture crowding the room:
- The filing cabinet: "I'm not qualified; they'll realize I'm a fraud."
- The desk: "My past successes were flukes, I can't repeat them."
- The lamp: "If I make the slightest mistake, it'll prove I don't belong."
To avoid these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, you start rearranging your world. You avoid situations that could expose your perceived shortcomings. You stick to the safe corner of the room, turning your back on the things you fear. At first, this feels like a relief.
But then, more worries and doubts pop up. You turn your focus away from them, limiting your movements further. The carpet on the floor reminds you of the worries you're desperately trying to escape. To get away from the carpet, you precariously balance on a chair.
The room, once vast, feels unbearably small. The more you try to avoid your impostor fears, the more they loom large, suffocating the joy and potential your life holds. Opportunities, relationships, and career advancements lie beyond those avoided corners of the room, yet they seem out of reach.
An ACT Perspective
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) recognizes this struggle. It suggests that fighting impostor thoughts is a futile battle, making them grow even stronger. ACT offers a different approach:
- Acknowledge the Room: Accept the presence of these thoughts and feelings. See them as a normal part of the human experience, especially in challenging situations.
- Focus on Control: Instead of fighting what you can't fully change, shift focus to how you respond to these thoughts and the actions you take despite them.
- Make Space: Learn to mindfully observe your impostor thoughts with curiosity. Notice the sensations they bring, their exact form. This creates distance, weakening their hold over you.
- Connect with Values: Remind yourself of your core values – the person you aspire to be, the contributions you wish to make. Are your actions taking you further from or closer to living these values?
- Committed Action: ACT emphasizes moving forward courageously in the direction of your values, even when those impostor thoughts shout from the corners of the room.
A Note on Growth
ACT doesn't try to eliminate impostor syndrome experiences but it offers a path to coexisting with these fears while living a meaningful life. It distinguishes relentless self-doubt from honest self-reflection, empowering you to use feedback for growth while learning to effectively handle the internal critic.
The Choice
Will you stay perched precariously on the chair in your shrinking world, or will you bravely reclaim the whole room, acknowledging the presence of difficult thoughts while not letting them control your life? The choice is yours.
If you're struggling with impostor syndrome, then therapy could help you to end this struggle. Therapy can help you apply these principles to build resilience, take purposeful action, and create a fulfilling life even in the presence of doubt.
