How I deal with imposter syndrome
Written By: Gen Nguyen | Read full profile
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I’ve been dealing with imposter syndrome (since who knows when) before I even knew the actual term. Almost every night in college (more specifically during my junior/senior year), I would lay in bed and worry about the future after college, after I graduate. Would I get a job? Go to graduate school? Where would I be in the next 5 years?
A lot of these thoughts stemmed from the fact that I was hitting a dead end with my life. I’m 22 yet I’m going through a midlife crisis? I felt like I wasn’t smart enough to go into higher education (med school/grad school) or even competent enough to code my way through a technical job. Recently, I broke down thinking I didn’t deserve my degree because I didn’t try hard enough to earn it.
A little dark, a little sad. So let’s break the ice with a joke:
What do you call fake noodles?
Imposter syndrome hit me hard. And it doesn’t help that I’m surrounded by prospective, over-achieving people.
But the great thing I have to remember is that I don’t care. I don’t care about other people and what they think of me. I don’t care about how people perceive me (unless it affects them and the people around me). I don’t care that other people are better than me. I just don’t care.
And just having this mentality helps me distinguish myself from other people and reminds me that I am me. You can’t be a fraud if you’re being yourself.
Now I understand that it’s easier said than done. Sometimes I relapse back into fetal position and think I’m not good enough. But then I think about a book I recently read for fun (yes mom, I read a book for fun).
↬ Boba is Overrated
↬ 37 Cent Green Milk Tea
↬ That time when I started sophomore year of college homeless
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Sounds vulgar. That’s because it was here and there. But just because there’s a couple of crude words in the title (and throughout the book), doesn’t mean that it should be passed up.
The author basically tells you reasons why you should “not give a f*ck.” Pretty self-explanatory. I would definitely recommend it to whoever is stuck in a rut, thinking everybody around them is thriving but they’re stagnant. Maybe it’ll help you stop doubting your worth or comparing it to someone else’s. It definitely did that for me. Honestly though, if you already have this mindset, maybe it’s not worth the read. But it’s always a good reminder to have.
Another way to deal with imposter syndrome is by changing your perspective on the problem. A situation will always be negative if you think it is. But you can turn that negativity into something positive.
For example, I don’t think that my hype videos are shot and edited professionally nor do I think I’m smart enough to be a tech geek. But because I know all of my flaws, I can work on them. And I do. My shooting and editing skills are definitely getting a lot better from my first go-around. I’m working on my technical skills and building my portfolio.
My imposter syndrome motivates me to better myself. And that constant cycle of feeling like an imposter pushes me to be more productive and fixes my issues of feeling like a fraud. Kind of like the negative feedback loop.
These aren’t definite, 100% no-money back guarantee ways that will work for everybody who suffers from imposter syndrome. But it works for me.
Answer: Impasta
I had a joke about imposter syndrome… but I don’t think I’m qualified enough to tell it.