Signs You Have Imposter Syndrome

You Always Think You Could Do Better

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The perfectionist; this is the most common and obvious signal that you are suffering from imposter syndrome. Even if you do something to such a high and optimal level, you might feel like no matter what your work could've been better and so you'll never be happy with what you've done.

You Wish You Knew More

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This is a common sign of imposter syndrome, where you wish you were able to understand more about a topic than you already do. Sometimes, even people in the highest places of a specific industry struggle with not being able to take the next step, sometimes because that information just isn't available.

You Want To Learn More Difficult Techniques

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Similarly to the previous point, you might be attempting to force yourself to try and learn techniques beyond your ability, just because you are trying to find better and more efficient ways to do complete your work. Sometimes what you know already won't do you any harm.

You're Naturally Intelligent

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Some people believe that they're a fraud within their education, or later in life, their employment because they haven't had to put in any effort to get to this point in their life. They might feel as though they've been thrusted into this way of life because of their own mind and not their desires.

Not Getting Something Instantly Angers You

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This happens to everyone, not just people who are struggling with imposter syndrome! You know when you look at something and feel like you can do it easily, but then you struggle and are unable to complete what you thought was an easy task. You may feel like an imposter.

You Don't Like Asking For Help

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You may have had feelings like this all the way from elementary school and through high school and any later education. You might feel like an imposter if you are forced to use a friend, peer or teacher to understand something. You're questioning your own competence in this scenario.

You Have To Always Work Hard

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If you're the sort of person that only knows how to work at full pelt,  or you're always in fifth gear then you might be suffering with imposter syndrome. You feel like you have to be the person working the hardest or you aren't living up to your own potential. It doesn't have to be this way though.

You Don't Stop Working At Night

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Again, this relates to the previous point; you're addiction to working hard means you are unable to commit to only working a 'normal' shift. This is likely to only lead you down a negative path as forcing your mind in to overdrive may make you exhausted and affect your drive in future days.

The Smallest Mistakes Bother You

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Everyone is going to make mistakes in their lives, and they won't always be small mistakes. They might be related to your own social life, your work life or your home life. Imposter syndrome sufferers will agonize over these mistakes, wishing and hoping that they never happened instead of trying to move on.

You Think It's All Luck

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Some people with imposter syndrome think that everything they've managed to achieve isn't related to their skills or the effort they've put in but that its actually all down to luck. It's unlikely that luck would be able to get you all the way through your life but unfortunately it's something some people suffer with.

You Struggle With Any Criticism

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Are you unable to deal with people giving you any criticism? This could be negative, or constructive criticism; a person struggling with imposter syndrome might be extra sensitive to this as they don't want any of the help they might be receiving. They'd rather get their without any help.

You're Worried People Think You're A Phony

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I'm not even suggesting that you are a phony, just that you're scared people will come to this conclusion upon reading or viewing any of your work. It's unknown why people come to this realisation, as if you know yourself that you haven't cheated your way to the top why then should you be scared?

You Downplay Your Expertise

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A large number of people don't like to show off their skills, even if they're at the top of their field. They might do this because they're worried about the previous point, but they also don't want people to pay attention to their skills. You should be proud of your skills, not hiding them!

Self-Sabotaging Your Own Work

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Another worrying symptom of imposter syndrome is thinking you're getting too far ahead of yourself and then self-sabotaging it. This is a way for those suffering to escape their own mind, although it is definitely a backwards way to success. I guess it's the success that worries them?

Struggling To Understand How Good You Are

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This is slightly different to downplaying your expertise, in that during your work you actually don't realise your skills, maybe not understanding that you are maybe even in the upper percentile of people with this skill. You might be unrealistic in evaluating your competence.

Placing Your Success On External Factors

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This is similar to downplaying your expertise, but instead of believing that luck has had a role in your rise, instead you place all the credit on external factors, still not yourself. Examples of factors that might have lead to a rise include: other people not being available or other people not finding the opportunity before you.

Criticising Yourself Too Much

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As a sufferer of impostor syndrome you are never going to be permanently happy with yourself or your work, therefore you are likely to criticise yourself regularly and ensuring that you are never in a state of comfortability for a prolonged period of time.

Being Scared People Will Be Disappointed In You

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Unfortunately, the worrying doesn't just cover you being disappointed in yourself, but also other people. You might think if you make a mistake your peers, or partners may think you don't belong in your position. Some people even feel like an impostor because their relationships are too strong!

Achieving Above Your Level

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On occasion, some people excel beyond their expected ability, but this can lead to some terrible repercussions for someone with impostor syndrome. What happens if that they won't ever get to that level of achievement again? They'll be left reeling and regretting the path they've taken.

Worrying You Won't Reach Another Peak

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Yep, this point follows on from the previous. The dread of never being able to achieve something to the level you already have can be a major trigger for anxiety and depression amongst impostor syndrome sufferers. Some people are able to enjoy their past but these people struggle to do the same.

Setting Unrealistic Tasks

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Unrealistic goals can cause some people to become incredibly difficult to communicate with, as it affects their whole lifestyle. If you are setting unrealistic goals, then you're going to be pushing yourself way too far, and maybe even endangering your physical and mental health. If you're setting goals, start small!

Feeling Permanently Anxious

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Those with imposter syndrome always feel the need to develop and are fuelled by the motivation of achievement. Unfortunately, this constant need to improve may lead to the sufferer forming a constant source of anxiety that would only cause them more harm than anything else.

Eventual Depression

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The depression comes as a result of the anxiety that forms around the various problems imposter syndrome can cause. Unfortunately, there is typically very little you can do to avoid depression as we all know depression isn't easily controllable. Keep an eye out for your friends in these scenarios.

You Are Unable To Change Your Core Beliefs

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Unfortunately, no matter what a person with imposter syndrome does, they can never shake that inner belief that they don't belong where they are. Instead of the thoughts like 'I belong here' it's more likely to be ' what gives me the right to be here' that runs through their head.

Focusing On Small Details

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This isn't to be confused with focusing on things you can see visually, but more like you're focusing on minute details of your work, or details about guests or people you'll be working with so that you'll always be able to have something to talk about, like small talk around work or their personal lives.

Inability To Maintain Relationships

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Some people with imposter syndrome aren't able to maintain their relationships properly, again due to the fact that they struggle to keep their focus on the other people in their lives, instead spending more time working on themselves, their work and their future as they're worried if they don't they might struggle.

Avoiding Your Parents

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It's not just yourself that you're worried about disappointing, but also those close to you, particularly your parents. This happens especially in houses where the parents value achievement, or they varied between praising and being overly critical as this can affect a person's outlook on life.

Failing To Settle In To A New Job

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New roles are definitely a trigger for imposter syndrome, or even starting a new college course. This could make you start to feel as though you don't belong or aren't capable to finish the course that you're on. Transitions and trying to new things definitely makes these feelings more common.

You Lack Confidence

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A lack of confidence and anxiety unfortunately come hand in hand, and if one comes the other isn't usually too far behind. Confidence declines can often occur as a result of a number of things already mentioned like criticism, making mistakes or simply feeling like you aren't meant to be where you are.

You Spend Too Much Time On Social Media

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An overuse of social media has been known to cause some people to feel inferior in comparison to others. If you're finding yourself trying to portray an image that isn't exactly who you are, or something that is impossible to achieve then you might be feeding imposter syndrome. Social Media can be a very toxic place.