31 Positive Affirmations for Imposter Syndrome

Feel like an imposter? You're not alone. Even the most experienced and competent people get the weird sense that they don't belong.

Though imposter syndrome is quite common, it can also be debilitating and hold you back from trying new things.

Using affirmations can help to combat feelings of imposter syndrome so that you feel your best when diving into something new. _‍

_{What is Imposter Syndrome?}

Imposter syndrome is the overwhelming experience of feeling like a fraud. This can apply to a myriad of situations from the workplace, to friendship groups, in relationships, when trying new things or different social situations. 

No matter how qualified, intelligent, sociable or competent you might be it is the internal panic that you don't actually know what you're doing and you don't belong.

Many of us experience imposter syndrome, particularly when it comes to the workplace. It is a persistent doubt in the back of our mind that we're going to be exposed as an imposter who doesn't belong. 

_{5 Types of Imposter Syndrome}

1. The Perfectionist - The perfectionist archetype doesn't believe that they can do something unless it's absolutely perfect. It's a deeply entrenched feeling that anything less than perfection is unacceptable and not worth trying. 
2. Struggling Expert - This archetype is a person who believes they have to know everything about everything before getting started. The struggling expert will feel like an imposter if they haven't mastered every part of a process. When they feel that they're not expert level yet, they will reluctantly participate.
3. The Individual - This type of person believes that they should be able to figure everything out for themselves. When they consider asking for help, they wonder if they're an imposter and not intelligent enough to get there on their own. The imposter syndrome stems from a feeling that they're not competent at what they're doing
4. The Hard Worker - This person believes that in order to belong you have to be the hardest worker in the room. In order to achieve their goals the hard worker will set out to achieve the highest accolades. If they feel they're falling short, they will feel like a fraud.
5. The Anxious One - This type of person feels overwhelming anxiety and self-doubt in most new situations. Though this person can be completely competent in their behaviour their self-doubt is so overwhelming that they struggle to put themselves out there and will always feel as though they don't belong.

_{Imposter Syndrome Symptoms} 

There are many common symptoms that characterise imposter syndrome including:

• Self-doubt
• Giving credit to external factors for your success
• Harsh self-criticism
• Lack of confidence
• A sense that you need to overachieve 
• Inability to assess your own competence
• Fear of failure
• Self-sabotaging behaviour
• Negative self-talk 
• Neuroticism 
• Social anxiety 
• Setting goals that are out of reach and reacting negatively to failure

^{How Affirmations Help}

Practicing affirmations can help you to rewire the subconscious mind. Our subconscious minds are on a loop, thinking around 90% of the same thoughts everyday. 

When you have imposter syndrome the likelihood is that your mind is filled with negative and self-doubting chatter. When you practice affirmations you're feeding the brain new information and shifting your subconscious programming. 

When you practice for 30 days you're creating new neural pathways in the brain that can help you to ward off any feelings of imposter syndrome. 

_{How to Practice Affirmations}

There are many ways to practice affirmations, but best practice is to do so when you're feeling calm and have some time to yourself to focus on your affirmation. This will allow you to be present while repeating your affirmation.  

Coupling affirmations with healing modalities like breathwork, meditation or journalling will help to amplify the practice.

It is important that as you repeat your affirmation that you are connecting an emotion to the words. If you're repeating "I am worthy" try to feel it as if you truly believe that you are. This will boost the signal to the subconscious mind and help to ingrain these words as a new belief. 

Choose 5-10 affirmations that resonate with you and choose a time in your day to practice. You can do so in the following ways:

1. Breathwork Affirmations - recite your chose affirmations 10 times while practicing deep breathing techniques 
2. Mirror Affirmations - while looking at yourself in the mirror repeat each affirmation 10 times
3. Morning Affirmations - repeat your affirmations 10 times each first thing in the morning 
4. Night Affirmations - repeat your affirmations 10 times each right before going to sleep
5. Journal Affirmations - choose a time during the day to write your affirmations down 10 times each 
6. Meditative Affirmations - take 3 deep inhales and relax into a meditative state - repeat your affirmations 10 times each in your head or out loud with your eyes closed 

_{31 Affirmations for Imposter Syndrome}

1. I am intelligent, worthy and capable
2. My opinion is valued by others because I add value to every situation I'm in 
3. I trust that I am competent and ready for this new challenge
4. I am capable of making the right decisions for myself 
5. I've got this
6. I deserve everything I have achieved
7. Even if it is challenging I'm ready to take it on
8. My experience has prepared me and I will learn anything I don't know
9. I am open to and embrace change
10. If I set my mind to it I can do it
11. There is no challenge that is too big for me
12. Mistakes aren't the end of the world
13. I am confident enough to try something new
14. I can learn anything that I don't know
15. I am enough
16. I am worth of good things happening to me
17. If I put my mind to it I can achieve it 
18. I come back better everyday
19. It's safe for me to try something new
20. I am open to learning and growing 
21. I have prepared for the opportunities that come my way and I am ready 
22. I always show and give it my best
23. I am creative, innovative and skilled in what I do
24. Not matter what the task I'll give it my all
25. I am worthy of my success
26. I've worked hard for the knowledge that I have and I can share it with others
27. I am an innovative and forward-thinking creative
28. I am a natural born leader
29. Everything I say yes to is a new adventure
30. Every time I try something new I am learning something new
31. I am deserving of great things 

_{Final Thoughts} 

It can be difficult to try put yourself out there but don't fret, we've all experienced imposter syndrome at some point. The feeling of being a fraud even when you're quite competent can be paralyzing. This fear is unwarranted and can be quite stressful. Using affirmations is a powerful way to reprogram the subconscious mind and shift the negative chatter into empowering. 

If you combatted imposter syndrome with these affirmations we'd love to hear from you!