7 Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

Do you ever feel like an incompetent failure whose successes have been a fluke? Do you fear that your inadequacy will be revealed at any moment?

I do. Whenever the feeling hits, I resort to one of these failsafe methods.

7 Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

• Make it stare at my last finished project. (“Take a good look. I SAID LOOK AT IT.”)
• Take it for a run. (It often grows tired and lags behind.)
• Challenge it to a dance off. (We’re both bad dancers, but Imposter Syndrome’s worse.)
• Sign it up for the SpaceX mission to Mars. (Of course I believe the rumors. And as a bonus, I can watch the launch from my front yard.)
• Read aloud from Moby Dick. (The chapter on whales puts it to sleep.)
• Punch it in the face. (Right hook.)
• Banish it with coffee. (Effective and enjoyable.)

This morning I’ve opted for the coffee.

In all honesty, I’m not certain that Imposter Syndrome is the right term for what I’ve been feeling these days. It’s more like a languid torpor brought on by the sneaking suspicion that this project will never actually end.

I know it’s a lie, but at the moment, it feels true; and whenever it’s time to work, I just want to recline on my purple plush chaise lounge with a bottle of smelling salts like a damsel in a Victorian novel. (Also, I want a purple plush chaise lounge. But who doesn’t?)

Have you found helpful ways of dealing with Imposter Syndrome? How do you motivate yourself to keep going when you feel overwhelmed by challenging work? Please share in the comments below.

Happy Monday, everyone! May your coffee be stronger than your uncertainty.