Have you ever thought you got lucky in an exam, got a job because you exaggerated your ability, or that you’re not worthy of the praise you receive? Chances are you’re experiencing a form of imposter syndrome.

A common misconception, imposter syndrome is not just for the shy, meek or anxious – it can affect anyone. 

In fact, people who struggle with imposter syndrome are in extremely good company – Albert Einstein, Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, Sheryl Sandberg and many more have all presented signs of imposter syndrome. 

Despite its name, imposter syndrome isn’t a disease or abnormality, and isn’t necessarily tied to depression, anxiety or self-esteem. It’s a feeling, an experience and a belief that can be hard to shake.

Valerie Young, a leading imposter syndrome expert, identified and described the following five different “types of imposters”:

The perfectionist

The Perfectionist’s primary focus is on “how” something is done — and one minor flaw in an otherwise stellar performance is not enough.

The expert

This is the knowledge version of the perfectionist. The expert expects to know everything; even a minor lack of knowledge is a failure.

The soloist

Cares about who completes the task, and feels like it needs to be them alone. Needing help is a sign of defeat in their eyes.

The natural genius

For the natural genius, competence is measured in terms of ease and speed. Struggling to master a subject or skill or not succeeding on the first try feels like failure.

The superwoman/superman

Falling short in any role – as a parent, partner, in the home or at work – all evoke shame because these people feel they should be able to handle it all perfectly and easily.

Reframing the way you think and using mindfulness practices can be a useful tool in dealing with common forms of imposter syndrome. Try these tips:

Recognise that just because you think something, doesn’t mean it’s true.

You’ll have about 70,000 thoughts a day and over 80% of these are old, repeated, thoughts. So you might still be carrying a belief from something a teacher said to you when you were 5 and take it as the truth. 

So become aware of when doubt, limiting, nasty critical thoughts enter your mind. 

Name the critic and give your imposter syndrome a character

What does it look like, sound like, how does it talk to you? When the critical voice arises, you can say to yourself: ‘Ah, there goes Minerva again.’

Challenge the critic by owning your success

Make a list of all the reasons why the critic is wrong, over exaggerating, being unkind, ignoring your wins.