4 Ways To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

In my work as an alternative wellness therapist and trauma specialist, I like to define imposter syndrome as a feeling of being unworthy of your accomplishments and success. My clients who experience imposter syndrome often feel like frauds and express doubt in their capabilities, skills, and talents.

Imposter syndrome can be a scary experience because it makes it difficult to enjoy and celebrate your accomplishments. It can also make it difficult for you to self-actualize due to fear of not being “good enough” to pursue other achievements.

When you are unable to see your worthiness, talents, and gifts, it can stifle you from having a fulfilling and abundant life. Here are four powerful ways to overcome this experience.

1. Get to Know Yourself

Knowing yourself is an integral part of healing imposter syndrome. In order to know that you are worthy, you have to be willing to see and accept yourself fully.

It is difficult to speak to the work ethic and expertise of a person you do not know. Therefore, it will be difficult for you to see yourself as worthy if you do not know yourself. Knowing and accepting yourself is the key to building self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-confidence.

When you know yourself, you are willing to see and work with the parts of yourself that create shame and fear. You are also able to see the parts of yourself that help you to thrive and accomplish your goals. This is beneficial because, in viewing yourself holistically, it helps you affirm your humanity and confront the parts of yourself you want to work to improve.

Recognizing a response of feeling fraudulent and “not good enough” is different from knowing why you have that response. So, striving to know why you feel unworthy of the accomplishments and good things in your life, as well as where that feeling stems from, will help you to heal.

2. Value Your Own Opinion of Yourself Over That of Others

Your opinion of yourself should be the most important opinion to you. You may not even realize it, but other people can project their perspectives of themselves and their worldviews onto you. This is a recurring part of our human experience.

Therefore, if you are waiting for others to affirm your worthiness and talent, they may not always be capable of doing so, and it may hinder you from seeing it for yourself. To heal and view yourself as worthy and authentic, it is important that you value and view yourself in a loving, healthy light.

No one besides you should hold the keys to your self-experience and perception of yourself. When you value your opinion of yourself over others’ opinions of you, it gives you space to explore your qualities, capabilities, and needs. You get to affirm who you are and devote the appropriate amount of attention to yourself and your accomplishments. You embody your experience every minute of every day, so your opinion of yourself should matter most.

3. Tap Into Your Gifts

We often see our worth reflected back to us when we feel that we are positively contributing to the world around us. While you already have inherent worth, utilizing your gifts can be a beautiful way to remind yourself of that worthiness.

We all have practices in which we are gifted. These practices are our innate passions and the expertise we have honed through experiences and research. By tapping into your gifts, you give yourself the opportunity to contribute to the world in ways that only you have the power to do.

Tapping into your gifts helps you to align with your purpose. By tapping into your purpose in this lifetime, you have the opportunity to affirm your skills, capabilities, and worthiness because you will know you are living the life you are called to live. By living in your authentic truth, you give yourself the opportunity to remove any doubts about your expertise, who or where you are called to be, and whether you are deserving of the positive experiences in your life.

4. Remember Your “Why”

Remembering why you embarked upon your journey is extremely important in overcoming imposter syndrome. If you have accomplished a goal, you intentionally did the work for that achievement. You had to build the necessary connections, be disciplined, think bigger than your position when creating the goal, and have the perseverance to accomplish the goal.

Asking yourself what your intention was when setting and completing the goal can help affirm your worthiness. You worked hard to create that experience and successfully navigate that part of your journey. You are worthy and deserving of the outcome you received because you worked to create it. Your “why” can be an anchor when navigating self-doubt.

Why Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Is Worth It

Overcoming imposter syndrome can be challenging, but the result can help you create an abundant life. You matter. You add value to the world around you. Your gifts are needed in the world. It is important that you see this in yourself in order to create a fulfilling life.

By reaffirming that you are worthy and deserving of good things, you give yourself the opportunity to heal, accomplish your life’s purposes, and create a life worth living. You also help to positively influence future generations by showing an example of what it looks like to appreciate and value oneself.

Love and light to you. Ase’.

Supplement your healing with these five techniques to silence your inner critic.