#9 The Shadow of Impostor Syndrome
3 ideas for getting out of your own way
Hi everyone!
This week, as Jason and I wrapped up our first online course together (Mind-Body Reset), and I’m thinking about impostor syndrome. After discussing it in the course podcast and in our live calls, I wanted to jot down and share some ideas for coping with it.
Recognize that imposter syndrome is normal
It doesn’t discriminate — in other words, you could be the Mozart or the Einstein or the Jackie Robinson of yoga teachers and you may still have moments of feeling like a fraud. In fact, in her book, The Stress Prescription, 7 Days to More Joy and Ease, Dr. Elissa Epel points out that imposter syndrome is common in high achievers. According to Epel, around 30 percent or more of medical students, surgery residents, and attendings have the syndrome. The takeaway: It can occur regardless of how much we’ve achieved! How ironic is that?!
When we normalize the experience of impostor syndrome, we can start to be more objective when it creeps up. We can even begin to greet impostor syndrome as patterned energy, a habit of the mind and nervous system instead of seeing it as a very real sign that we absolutely suck and do not deserve to be doing this.
Idea: When you notice self-doubt, greet the impostor syndrome. Try saying something along the lines of, “Oh, hello patterned energy. I see you and I know that you’re trying to help me, but you don’t need to worry. I got this.
”
Remember Your Students’ Experience
Someone in our live calls (Gianna, hello!) pointed out that so often our students walk into the yoga room and they, too, might be feeling impostor syndrome. They’re wondering if they belong, if they are “enough,” if it’s OK that they cannot yet kick up into Handstand.
Idea: Try taking the focus off of yourself and put yourself in your students’ shoes. Use your experience of imposter syndrome to create empathy toward your students and the classroom setting as welcoming as possible.
Trust the Tools
As Jason often says, “We have to trust that the yoga works.” What he means by this is that we’re really just the vessel for conveying the tools and teachings. And we have to trust that the tools and teachings will work regardless of how flawed we are as humans. We can relieve ourselves of the burden that we are somehow unworthy and instead see ourselves as the very important conduit for ensuring that these teachings continue. As the years go by, I’m starting to feel how utterly important it is for the legacy of yoga to continue. You, in all of your flawed humanity, are part of that legacy!
Idea: Remind yourself that you are part of a community and that we are all working together to light the spark of yoga for generations to come.
Would love to hear your experiences of impostor syndrome and how you cope with it in the comments!
I feel like an imposter most days. Sometimes in my yoga teaching but also as a writer, as a mom trying to appear as if I have it all together etc., etc. The work of Elaine Aron on HSPs taught me that focusing on my strengths can help me overcome that imposter syndrome, including preparation. Whenever I’m feeling less than, I spend more time on my craft to build confidence.
Such an insightful post. I've had imposter syndrome in many areas of my life, and usually I deal with it by just walking the walk (I tell people I am a teacher, and I am a writer) even when I feel unsure of it on the inside. And then I teach and write anyway, until I feel more and more uncomfortable, knowing that those moments of imposter syndrome might (will!) return again. Sometimes I cope with it by thinking of how young children just assume roles without self-consciousness (how many times have I seen a 5-year-old proclaim that they are an artist or dancer or something else without flinching??). How can I be that child again that just believes in these possibilities?