Have you ever felt like a fraud? If yes, then you might have impostor syndrome. You may not feel you belonged, or there is a constant fear that people might find out you are a fraud. All these are just wandering thoughts in your head, but they are real. Self-doubt is quite common. You might have feelings for a girl, but your heart and mind tell you that you’ll get rejected. Here’s another instance: you may feel that online casino sites are not genuine, but there are bonuses hot spot online which can actually bring some profit.
Feelings of low self-esteem are quite common – in workplaces, relationships, family life, and social gatherings. In this article, we are going to talk about low self-esteem and impostor syndrome. The concepts are interconnected; hence we will be discussing both terms.
Understanding Low Self-Esteem & Impostor Syndrome
Perhaps you have accomplished a lot in life, but you still feel inadequate. So you start comparing your life with others and believe that you are less in front of them. You may feel ‘fraudulent’ about your achievements, and that’s why psychologists call it ‘impostor syndrome.’
What’s impostor syndrome? When you doubt your calibre and feel that your colleagues may get to know about your fraud, the condition is called ‘impostor syndrome’. Despite accomplishing many things in life, you might give credits to good timing or luck.
We can take the example of women here. Women are seen as caregivers. They ought to have motherly instincts. As per society’s standards, women need to stay home, deliver babies, take care of them, and maintain peace at home.
Low self-esteem could be a symptom of impostor syndrome or vice versa. Highly successful women may suffer from this condition simply because of the societal standards and the constant pressure they have on their heads. If you are a mother/wife, you might give credit to your husband or in-laws for being ‘supportive’.
The Underlying Shame
No matter where you reach in life, get the highest grades or even get a promotion – you will not be satisfied or happy. There is a deep shame inside of you. An imposter feels negative all the time – they feel they don’t deserve a certain position and are not as qualified, but secretly they want it as bad as any other candidate.
If someone offers you a promotion or any form of kindness, you feel surprised because you think you don’t deserve it or others can’t see your imperfections.
How to Get Rid of Low Self-Esteem?
There is a very harsh inner judge inside of us. It’s critical and sees what nobody else sees in you. When a person is self-critical, they march towards low self-esteem too. That’s when we lose confidence in our capabilities. There are doubts in our heads which makes us very sensitive to criticism.
If you want to get rid of low self-esteem, you need to start living in the moment. Start maintaining a journal and write about the way you feel. Let go of societal pressure or the notion of ‘what people will say.’ You don’t have to please anybody to feel good about yourself. Just do things that make you happy and start showing compassion and respect to yourself. You are worth it! Positive affirmations can also help you succeed in life. So, give up the idea of not deserving anything in life and start accepting your flaws and your good side too.