Imposter Syndrome as a Teenage Girl

Hello beautiful! Today, I want to talk about a mental health and confidence issue that I'm really passionate about: imposter syndrome. For me, imposter syndrome has been the experience of feeling like I don't deserve the recognition that I get. For others, it could mean feeling like you have to do everything perfectly or else you're just faking everything.

5 Types of Imposter Syndrome

I did some research about imposter syndrome and the different ways it appear in your life, and I found out that there are 5 main types of imposter syndrome. The first is the perfectionist, or someone who sets very high standards for themselves and criticizes their own work very harshly. The superhuman usually puts a lot of activities on their plate. They think they should be able to handle lots of possibilities, which could lead to them over exerting themselves.

The soloist tries to get their work done without the help of other people, because they think that asking for help is a weakness and they want to prove themselves by doing everything alone. Similarly, the natural genius thinks that tasks should come easily to them because they're naturally talented. They sometimes feel frustrated when tasks challenge their ability or require trial and error.

Finally, there is the expert, the subtype that I feel the most connected to. The expert feels the need to to know everything about a topic before starting a new project or pursuing a new opportunity. They might feel less smart or knowledgable around their peers or teachers.

Imposter Syndrome image @Recovery.com on Pinterest

Where does Imposter Syndrome even come from?

Because imposter syndrome can mean something different for everyone, there can be a lot of different ways it can appear. I'm going to focus on common examples for teenagers.

For a lot of teens, imposter syndrome can come from already existing self-confidence problems. Imposter syndrome is usually linked to low self worth or self esteem, which you might feel sometimes.

Perfectionism is also a root cause of imposter syndrome. If you feel terrible about yourself after the smallest mistake, that might mean you feel like an imposter.

The final cause of imposter syndrome that I want to mention is social media. When we see only the positive highlights of people's lives, it can make us want to compare our entire lives to a 20 second snippet of another person's life. Most of the time, that 20 second snippet seems more impressive, and we can judge ourselves because of it. But the reality is that we don't know anything else about that person's life; we only know about the positives.

My Experience with Imposter Syndrome

The reason I wanted to write about imposter syndrome is because I've had(and I'm still having) an experience with it. Ever since starting at my rigorous, competitive, private high school, I keep feeling like I don't deserve to be there. I always compare myself to other students that got into the school, and I honestly don't know why or how I got into such an amazing school.

Another not-so-great thing that I keep telling myself is that I'm taking someone else's opportunity by being at this school and that I'm wasting a spot that someone else could be using. It's such a weird mindset to have while I'm actively attending the school.

How can I challenge my negative thoughts?

I'll start with the ways that I challenge my imposter syndrome, and then I can share some thing that I've learned from friends and other people that have also gone through similar experiences.

In my brain, whenever I start to feel thoughts saying "You're not good enough" or "Everyone here is so much smarter than you", I instantly turn to my journal. I write down everything that I'm feeling. Most of the time, it seems crazy when I'm looking at it on paper. The negative thoughts my mind have barely any reality tied to them. So when I try to write what actually happened, I can see clearly that I have nothing to feel self- conscious about.

For the next coping strategy, I feel like I have to mention this, one way or another: social media detoxing. You definitely don't have to delete all of the social media apps on your phone, but maybe just set limits on how much you use them, and what type of content you're watching. A big chunk of imposter syndrome is comparing yourself to others, and getting rid of social media even just a little bit dramatically changes that.

Finally, I want to talk about something that one of my favorite Youtubers, Alana Lintao, uses to stay confident in her abilities: a proof board. It's similar to a vision board, but instead of photos and accomplishments of other people, you use photos, certificates, and memories from your own life. It's supposed to act as "proof" that you're not faking anything, and that you are smart, capable, kind, and amazing!

You can put anything that you want on your proof board: screenshots of emails or report cards, photos of you with your family and friends, or even awards that you've received. If it makes you feel good about yourself, put it on your proof board.

Thank you so much for reading my blog! Remember, if you ever feel like you need a hand, girl let me help!