Imposter syndrome – You’re not alone!
For week 3 of AssistHER OptiMe CEO, Bethany Ainsley, delivered an insightful, yet refreshing, presentation discussing ‘Imposter Syndrome’. She educated us all on the meaning of this ‘syndrome’ and the complexity behind it.
Bethany shared a range of perspectives which resonated with all of us, whether that be our personal experiences, our family and friends or the people we work with. It was empowering and comforting to know that so many people struggle with this issue and WE ARE NOT struggling ALONE with it.
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you’re not”
In this session we were educated on the different signs and indicators that someone is struggling with Imposter Syndrome. Just some of these included self-doubt, sabotaging your own successes, working harder than is necessary, fearing you won’t live up to expectations and anxiety.
In week 2 we spoke about our inner coach and our inner critic. Imposter Syndrome, sure as anything, had characteristics of this ‘inner critic’! Bethany suggested some ways to overcome imposter syndrome which included recognising our unhealthy patterns, building a network of supportive, likeminded people (AssistHER’s! We have this already💜) stop comparing, asking for help, finding a mentor, being aware of our thoughts.
It was interesting to find out that there is not just one type of ‘imposter’ – there are actually 5 different categories of them! These categories can be used to help us understand WHAT our inner critic really is, WHERE they are coming from, WHY they are feeding us these imposing thoughts and HOW we can most importantly overcome it. The five different types took the names of ‘The Perfectionist’, ‘The Super Hero’, ‘The Expert’, ‘The Natural Genius’ and ‘The Soloist’.
To find out more about week 3 and all things imposter syndrome I would recommend joining the AssistHER Facebook group and joining in the conversation. Here you will find more about Bethany’s discussion on Imposter Syndrome in more detail. You can find the page here.
