Mentality Monday: Joshua & Niki on Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome:

A commonly reported and experienced phenomenon that affects high-functioning, high-achieving individuals... Due to the many potential detrimental effects of this syndrome on these individuals... including depression, anxiety, and other behavioral health issues, the identification, and treatment of those affected with this syndrome are imperative. ~ National Library of Medicine

To be an impostor, per the Oxford Languages Dictionary, is to be a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.

But people who suffer from impostor syndrome aren't actively attempting to be frauds. Impostor syndrome is a mental health phenomenon in which one can seriously and persistently doubt that their own skills, abilities and successes are deserved, warranted, or legitimate.

As has been discussed previously here on mental-ity, the answer to most matters is found in our level of self-esteem. Low self-esteem can lead to extreme self-doubt and insecurity, as well as a negatively distorted reality.

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Can you relate? Have you doubted & slighted your own God-given abilities in your field because you feel like you're not worthy of belonging, for whatever reason?

As The Recess Bell is the Network for Creatives, I find this to be the case for many creatives in their respective crafts. While impostor syndrome can, in a roundabout way, potentially lead to better quality of work... that's birthed out of dangerous perfectionist traits tied to impostor syndrome. Additionally, it can lead to frequent moments of procrastination.

If you're navigating the early stages of your career, you may find yourself falling victim to impostor syndrome as well. It's a major problem that can have the most talented & intelligent people questioning their reality 24/7 (á la depression).

Episode 3 of NikiMarie & I's 'Mentality Monday' podcast tackled this very subject, following up on our first two conversations on loneliness and FOMO, respectively.

We mapped out how impostor syndrome can look in different avenues in life and what the MOST important thing one can do to begin to deconstruct the phenomenon. From there, we discussed the best methods to FULLY recognize and heal from the negative thought patterns and feelings of low self-worth that impostor syndrome can wage.

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