Have you ever been in a meeting and been afraid to speak up because you believe people will think less of you if you do? Do you avoid additional responsibilities because you believe it will reveal you’re not qualified? Have you not asked for a raise because you don’t think you deserve it? Do you constantly second-guess yourself?
You’re not alone. This phenomenon, better known as Imposter Syndrome, is when someone doesn’t feel worthy of their role and believe they got to where they are purely based on luck. This exists between both introverts and extroverts, across genders, and can stem from someone’s upbringing, or personality and behavioral traits….and it’s extremely common.
An article in the International Journal of Behavioral Science estimated 70 percent of people experience some form of imposter syndrome-like feelings.
How can you overcome it?
Journal: Write down what gives you anxiety at work and get as detailed as possible. Next, (and something that takes vulnerability) talk through this list with your manager. Tell them how you’re feeling and allow them to help you overcome your hesitations and anxieties. Managers aren’t mind readers. Fill them in so they can better help you grow. The role of a people manager is to develop their people – if you work for a manager who doesn’t have an interest in helping you develop professionally, we’re hiring.
Give yourself 5 seconds: In her book, “The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage,” author and former CNN host, Mel Robbins, explains how you can talk yourself into or out of doing something in just 5 seconds.
She says, “If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it. When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and move towards action. If you do not take action on your instinct, you will stay stagnant. You will not change.”
Robbins explains how to mentally adjust how you perceive the task at hand, changing your mindset to turn what you feel as anxiety into excitement. For instance, she suggests mentally classifying what you feel as nerves before a big presentation as butterflies because you’re so excited to get in front of a group to talk about something you’re passionate about.
Our brains are extremely powerful and play the biggest role in hindering us from achieving what we set out to, and how we view ourselves. Flip the script to help you overcome some of the biggest workplace anxieties in the new decade.
