Dealing with imposter syndrome in the moment (part 1/3): Taking off the glasses and removing resistance

Hi lovely people!

Previously we’ve looked at identifying imposter syndrome when it shows up

(episodes 1 and 2), minimising how much it shows up day-to-day with mindfulness (episodes 3 and 4) and then preventing it (episode 5).

Now we’re on in-the-moment strategies.

What happens when it’s a Tuesday evening and you’re panicking because you don’t know as much as you should for your case / meeting / presentation tomorrow? Or it’s now Wednesday and you’re in the thick of it and you feel totally inadequate.

Today we’re expanding on the Taking Off The Glasses technique from the free episode in Untangling, and adding in another top tip on removing resistance.

EFT comes up again in the this, so if you’re not up-to-date, please listen to episdoe 5 before this one (get it here).

As always, when you’ve listened, please do come and share:

1. Your biggest lesson

   Mine: A reminder to remove the judgement that I should'n’t get imposter syndrome simply because I coach on it!

2. One thing you’ll do differently

   Mine: As above, I need to spend more time practising removing resistance / judgement to the imposter syndrome feelings I get. I get thoughts like “I shouldn’t feel like this*” but actually why not?! It’s a feeling I’ve had my whole life, and while it’s vastly improved, it will still show up sometimes in high stakes situations. I need to treat myself with more kindness here.

   *(note the word “should” in this sentence, something we talk about in this episode!)

3. A question for me

4. Anything you’ve noticed about imposter syndrome since last week

   Mine: I had a big day in my uni job last week involving delivering training to colleagues and it initially made my imposter syndrome rear up that “I wasn’t good enough to be teaching them things”. I did the strategies we talked about here and it really helped but my biggest achievement was hearing the compliments after - when people came up to me to say how much they enjoyed the presentations, I believed them. Previously I’d have said “they were just saying that to be nice” but I was able to recognise they wouldn’t go out of their way to say that if that didn’t mean it.

Sending love

Lucy x