6 ways to beat impostor syndrome

You know the feeling: you've worked tirelessly on the project for weeks, but on the morning of the big presentation, you insist it's not good enough. Or you're browsing job postings and a great one catches your eye, but you decide you'd never be considered for a VP position, so why bother applying? How about when you finally get that promotion you've worked so hard for, but are anxious about not being able to handle the job. When that heartbreaking feeling and inner voice of doubt takes over, it's hard not to feel like an impostor and worry that others will decide you are one too.

While the term "impostor syndrome" has garnered a lot of attention recently, psychologists first brought the phenomenon to light in a 1978 study. If you suffer from impostor syndrome or a set of feelings of inadequacy that linger despite evident success, you are not alone. Originally associated with high-performing professional women, recent research shows that these feelings of inadequacy know no gender, ethnicity or race, and span many professional contexts. Some studies show that up to 90% of women and 80% of men suffer from the syndrome. The harsh reality is that it can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. Fun, right?

Feeling like a cheat isn't just bad for our emotional health, it can also keep us from achieving our aspirations, a deadly combination of work-life stress. So how do we deal with this damaging self-talk? At the company I work for, Freshworks, we have a thriving internal female professional community, so I've collected some thoughts from female professionals across the company, and here are their tips and tricks (plus a bonus of a industry veteran!) to help stop doubting yourself.

Name the voice!

Separate that nagging voice that keeps telling you that you're not good enough of yourself. Give him his own name and identity, and like a toxic friend who doesn't help you, work to create barriers. One of my friends calls her Patricia: "Not today, Patricia. I refuse to listen to your nonsense today!" This strategy helps shift the impostor syndrome from internal talk to external voices that aren't worth listening to.

Meditate.

When Patricia keeps talking, try meditating. A colleague shared that when she feels doubt creeping in, she likes to focus on her feet on the ground and what it feels like physically to be supported and grounded. Focusing on the physical experience helps silence that nagging inner voice.

Say yes to things that scare you.

This one is perhaps the hardest, but often the most rewarding. Decide that despite your fears and feelings of inadequacy, you are going to go for it. You may be convinced that you'll never get the big job, but promise yourself that you'll apply and take the steps to get there. It's often the first step that's the hardest, and once you start experiencing early success, those pesky feelings go away.

Share your feelings.

Sharing how you feel with trusted friends, peers or mentors can help. Being reassured by others can make it less scary, and you might be surprised at how many people you respect and admire who are going through similar experiences. After all, impostor syndrome can happen to anyone.

Follow your own advice.

Another colleague spoke up and said, "When I have these moments of doubt, I like to stop and think about how I would react if one of my colleagues came to me with these self-doubts. I'd develop them back up by pointing out the facts of everything they do because they're an expert." That's the kind of self-talk we all need!

Take a good look around you.

Let's be real: is there anyone else in the room who is much smarter or better than you? Asked about the fight against imp...