Talking About My Struggle With Imposter Syndrome

Faith

Jul 1

I struggle with imposter syndrome.

But wait. Let’s define this before I start talking about my experience with it and the wonderful, easy solution that comes with it. The American Psychological Association identifies people suffering with imposter syndrome as “often attributing their accomplishments to luck rather than to ability, and fear that others will eventually unmask them as a fraud.” They feel a pressure to achieve success—mainly, these people grow up with parents expecting them to achieve success, but it can also stem from anxiety and even depression, and the feeling of not being good enough.

The article says feelings of imposter syndrome are more common in those beginning a new endeavor—say, a new job, school year, or family. Have you ever felt like you’re not enough or qualified enough in a place surrounded by experts, people who have been doing this and studying this for years? Do you feel like you’re not qualified to be surrounded by said experts and you’re afraid you might fail or someone might call you out for not knowing enough or if you got to the place where you are because of luck? These are feelings of imposter syndrome.

And it sucks, not going to lie.

I struggle with this said imposter syndrome. (And I’m not alone. At least one-third of millennials in the workplace in the UK suffers with imposter syndrome in the workplace.) Actually, psychologists and the American Psychological Association don’t recognize imposter syndrome as an official mental health disorder. It’s harder to identify in people, and unfortunately, imposter syndrome is way too common in young people.

So, how do you know you struggle with imposter syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is staring at a blank computer screen. Imposter syndrome is scrolling through Instagram and reading so many wonderful writers and thinking how in the world can I be like them when I don’t have the experience or skills? (Aka, constantly questioning your skills.) Imposter syndrome is sitting in class, afraid to raise your hand—even if you know the answer—and thinking someone else has a better answer. (Aka, doubting your knowledge—that’s self-doubt.) Imposter syndrome sits in your gut, just waiting to creep in your heart when it thinks that you want to do something great and inspiring or simply speak up in class. Imposter syndrome is invisible, but it’s there and sometimes, it takes up hours and hours of agony and self-doubt to the point where you feel like you have accomplished nothing and then—you sit some more in agony and the cycle goes on.

Imposter syndrome can even be linked to comparison. This Teen Vogue article published in 2018 links the two best: “In many competitive academic environments, comparing is even normalized and encouraged, which is demoralizing to young children. There are lots of college students marked by success in fame and on the Internet, and it’s easy to feel lesser and disregard your strengths and achievements in the process. We forget, amid our obsessions, that life is not a competition.”

For months and years, I have struggled with this thing called imposter syndrome. Over recent years, I have come to trust God with my heart and as a result, I gave my life to Him. But. But—there’s still this sense of questioning and self-doubt of my skills and talents and why I’m in the place that I am. I think to myself, “someone else can do better” and/or “I’m not that good enough” and/or “someone else is already doing that” and/or “I’m too young/inexperienced.” Those statements don’t come from God; they come from years and years of built up imposter syndrome and comparison and pushing God to the side.

So how do I cope with this? How does one solve the mystery behind imposter syndrome? Is it even a mystery? Is it even worth talking about? Am I just rambling to myself when we should be talking about more serious mental health issues, like anxiety, depression, and teen suicide? In this article mentioned earlier from the American Psychological Association, imposter syndrome can lead to severe anxiety and even clinical depression. It can send a person into a spiral of emotions that is frankly, hard to climb out of, and it can lead to these more serious mental health issues I mentioned earlier. One example is a girl sitting on her couch all day staring at her TV screen blankly, watching endless amounts of Gilmore Girls and be afraid to accomplish anything because she thinks that she’s not qualified or experienced or accomplished enough to do anything because others “do it better.”

This is all signs of imposter syndrome, friends. Imposter syndrome is even rearing its ugly head as I’m typing this. I’m afraid someone is writing about imposter syndrome better.

But here it is. The magical, end-all, be-all solution: Push past it.

Yep, there it is. Not going to sugar coat it, but it takes work. It takes discipline. It takes time. Just like how you need to continue going to the gym or exercising every day and every week and every month to build up stamina and muscle and to lose weight, you must push past this imposter syndrome to finally stop believing the lies in your head—and just do what makes you happy. Think about it: exercising to build up stamina helps you become more physically fit and healthy. Exercising and eating healthy helps you become more toned and muscular (I don’t know how fitness works). Pushing past the lies and believing something worth believing (like God’s Word) helps build up stamina to become more spiritually fit and healthy. When you become more diligent in God’s Word and discipline yourself to read it every day, even when you “don’t feel like it”, you become more like Christ and you focus on God’s purpose for you, not the world’s.

See, God put you where you are for a reason. He put me in my town, in my apartment, in my job for a reason. He put you where you are for a reason, a purpose. Discover it. Dive into His Word and learn about Him, and that will help you lead you to His purpose for you. Don’t go searching the Bible for ONLY your purpose—that’s not what Scripture was written for. (Trust me, I need to hear this too.) Don’t rely on blog posts or podcasts or videos to find your purpose. The Bible isn’t there to “fix” you. The Bible helps you transform the renewal of your mind in a way that emulates Christ Jesus and allows you to distinguish between God’s voice and the lies in your head.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Romans 8:5 (NIV)

Allow God to open your heart and mind to His teachings, and worship Him, praise Him, rejoice in His name because He is our Savior. By reading and believing Jesus’s teachings and the Gospel, we have been justified by faith and we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And know this: You are qualified. You are enough. You are the son or daughter of our living God. God created you with a PURPOSE in mind. That is enough to live and remember day by day.