The Imposter Cure

Clinical psychologist Jessamy Hibberd – who also wrote How to Overcome Trauma and Find Yourself Again and This Book Will Make You Happy – provides sound advice on freeing yourself from imposter syndrome, the false feeling that you’re a fraud when you are not.

First, to overcome the self-doubt that fuels imposter syndrome, reject its two main dysfunctional coping strategies: doing too much work while pursuing perfection, or avoiding challenges and procrastinating out of self-doubt. Procrastination, the evil twin of overwork, is the manifestation of avoidance. People who chronically delay starting tasks would prefer that others judge them for lax effort than for ineptitude. Long delays cause anxiety and stress, but you can reduce those negative feelings by forgiving yourself for procrastinating and moving ahead.