Monday 10-05-2021 - 15:00

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, postgraduate students at Glyndwr University have identified imposter syndrome as one area which can have big impact on wellbeing. It is true, we all have ups and downs in life and will often wear a mask to on the tough days to hide how we are really feeling. This may mean that there is a disconnect; we feel alone in our struggles because we rarely see that others are struggling too – we fear being unmasked.

 

The same can be said for imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is often described as feeling like a fraud and the fear of being unmasked as a fraud causes anxiety and stress. Individuals with imposter syndrome have a difficult time internalizing their success, accepting compliments and feel like failures despite their successes. Studies show that imposter syndrome is common in high-achievers, such as political and business leaders, researchers and postgraduate students. Imposter syndrome may have negative effects if the individual has high-levels of self-doubt and a paralyzing fear of failure. For example, as postgraduate students, we may decide against submitting an article or a paper for a conference if we think no one will be interested or read it and we do not stand a chance against competitors. This means that important opportunities may be lost and we either give up trying or experience burnout from trying to prove ourselves.

 

However, there are various ways of dealing with imposter syndrome and recognizing you are suffering with it is the first step! Some other techniques you may like to try include:

 

• Adopt a Growth Mindset – Dr Carol Dweck formed the term ‘Growth Mindset’ which means that you do not use failure as a descriptor, instead you use it to develop and grow your abilities. You can replace the word fail with the word learn and begin to understand that with hard work and support, your strengths will continue to grow.
• Start Journaling – Journaling is a brilliant way to keep track of your experiences and reflect back on them often. When you start journaling, it is a good idea to consider what has happened and how you were feeling at the time. The you can reflect on what went well and what you would do differently next time. This can help us to embrace our imperfections which, in turn, can help deal with imposter syndrome
• List Making – isn’t it so satisfying when you can cross things off your list? It gives you a real feeling of accomplishment which you can read back through and appreciate how much you have actually done. List making also helps to set realistic goals, remember they do not have to be big at all. Smaller, achievable steps will still help you to reach your goals but will feel less overwhelming.
• Reverse the Rabbit Hole – Imposter syndrome often leads us to catastrophize and start thinking about the ‘what ifs’. We will then think of the worst case scenario and may then procrastinate or avoid completing the task altogether. Reversing the rabbit hole is a technique where you combat the negative outcomes with the positive and realistic outcomes instead.
• Remember you are not alone – Imposter syndrome is common and may affect us all differently but remember to talk to someone you trust if you are struggling with your feelings. You might like to talk to your supervisors, family, friends or other postgraduate students to help deal with imposter syndrome.

 

Do not let imposter syndrome stop you from achieving your dreams. Instead, measure your success through how you are showing up and treating others.

 

Written by Tegan Brierley-Sollis, WGSU Postgraduate Officer

 

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