Imposter Syndrome at Home

Hi, and welcome to an introspection of imposter syndrome at home. This is a psychological phenomenon that affects so many of us, an internalized fear of being a fraud and not feeling good enough, regardless of what you do, questioning that any success or achievement even belongs to you, feeling disappointed in yourself more often than not, despite accolades you get from others. Contrary to popular belief, imposter syndrome manifests in all areas of your life, not just in the workplace. In fact, what contributes to imposter syndrome are things like your family upbringing, parental expectations you may have faced growing up, genetics, and your cultural background. Imposter syndrome can be experienced in your own family and in relationships. For instance, you grew up in a family where you felt like you had to be perfect, from your behavior to your grades in school. Your straight-As or music and sports awards weren't necessarily recognized, so you felt like a disappointment in your family. Or you're constantly worried about your partner leaving you or being rejected by your partner because you imagine you're not worthy of being with them. Experiencing imposter syndrome in the family can cause distress, because that is where you want to feel the safest. How can you navigate this? It's important to learn how to be a champion of your own success instead of looking for it from your family or others. Let's get introspective and grounded for strong self-awareness on how we can be healthier and happier with ourselves to be our best champions. Before we begin, have a writing utensil and paper or your journal handy to write some thoughts down later. Close your eyes. Let's do one full round of square breathing. Inhale for four. Hold breath for four. Exhale for four. Inhale for four. Hold breath for four. Exhale for four. Inhale. Hold breath. Exhale. Last time. Inhale. Hold breath. Exhale. Keep your eyes closed and think about re-authoring your story, focused on your success-saturated narrative. Let's do this by focusing on solutions instead of being problem-focused. Ask yourself, "When are those times "that I feel the most confident "and proud of who I am and what I do?" What are you doing or saying in those times you feel most confident? Now, open your eyes. Let's write your success-saturated narrative. Identify your strengths and skills. What are you good at? What do you do well? Write them down. The key is to look for patterns when you are consistently feeling confident, particularly with your family or in your relationships. Human nature is to resort to what we do not do well, and so focusing on our success narrative takes consistent practice. Take a look at what you wrote down so far. Now, close your eyes. Think of ways you can find yourself more in those situations when you do feel most confident. It's about doing more to amplify your strengths and skills as much as you can. Visualize those situations. Situate yourself...