{"id":11565,"date":"2016-12-07T15:09:27","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T15:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/?p=11565"},"modified":"2016-12-07T15:09:27","modified_gmt":"2016-12-07T15:09:27","slug":"what-is-impostor-syndrome-and-what-can-adhd-adults-do-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/what-is-impostor-syndrome-and-what-can-adhd-adults-do-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Impostor Syndrome, and What Can ADHD Adults Do About It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever wondered about your professional life, \u201cWhat if people find out I don\u2019t have enough experience, am not that smart, don\u2019t have enough talent\u2026?\u201d If you have ever had these or similar thoughts, know you are not alone<\/strong>. I know because I hear sentiments like these all the time in my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many reasons, some of which I\u2019ll cover below, it is common<\/strong> for ADHD Adults to wonder, \u201cHow did I get here and when will \u2018they\u2019 find out I really can\u2019t do \u2018it\u2019?\u201d  This question often comes from feelings of not being enough<\/strong> \u2014 of feeling like an imposter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all feel like this at times. It becomes problematic<\/strong>, though, when these feelings lead you to act in a way that keeps you from achieving what you want<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, when you are aware of these feelings and know how to address them, occasional thoughts like these don\u2019t need to hold you back<\/strong>. So, let\u2019s get on to seeing how you can manage your feeling of being an imposter<\/strong> when they arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Your ADHD Can Contribute To Your Feelings of Being an Imposter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, it is important to understand how your ADHD symptoms may magnify feeling like an imposter, as this understanding can be helpful in pointing you to the right solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Tania is fictional, to be sure, the snapshot below illustrates the common scenarios adults with ADHD can experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tania, who is Director of Marketing, had the 1:00 pm Director\u2019s meeting in her calendar, and she had reviewed her calendar that morning. But a \u00bd hour before the meeting she decided to start working on a report that was overdue, lost track of time and<\/strong> ended up being 15 minutes late to the meeting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then about 20 minutes after arriving she realized she had missed a large chunk of what they were saying because she was distracted<\/strong> thinking about the project she was working on. She managed to bring her attention back to the meeting\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, when she needed to give her report, she had a difficult time processing and explaining<\/strong> one of the concepts on the fly because of her challenges with working memory. Looking out at the face of her colleagues all she could see were quizzical faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all she could think<\/strong> was, \u201cSee, they are thinking I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m guessing you\u2019ve had some of these experiences, too, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Tania was incredibly talented and knew the marketing content inside out, which is why she was hired to be Director of Marketing. But because she still felt like a fraud she was ready to give up \u2014 quit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until she found help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How \u201cActing As If\u201d Can Help You Manage Your Feelings Of Being An Imposter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One antidote is to \u201cact as if.\u201d<\/strong> To do this adopt the persona of the person you aspire to be even when you are not entirely convinced you can do this. If it sounds hard to do, it is! It will take an act of faith<\/strong> to adopt this perspective despite your doubts<\/strong>. Here how Tania was able to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Tania first started in her marketing career, she definitely felt like an imposter. And every mistake she made, which there were many, just reinforced she didn\u2019t know what she was doing. So, of course, her confidence was wobbly at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt like she was just fooling her colleagues and boss. And, at times she was tempted to give up. At other times she thought she just had to work harder and longer hours \u2014 be a perfectionist. But she persisted, grew professionally and was eventually promoted to her current position as Director of Marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, as you saw above, she still felt like an impostor. Then she learned to \u201cact as if<\/strong>.\u201d In part she did this by reminding herself she had exceptional marketing skills and her challenges, some of which were related to her ADHD, did not diminish this expertise<\/strong> \u2014 strength.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also learned how to work with her ADHD<\/strong> by building muscles in areas she wanted to improve. And, just as important, she became better at delegating and negotiating so she was not spending as much of her time doing tasks that were challenging for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when she wanted to give up, she remembered that it was temporary<\/strong>. While she still feels like an imposter at times, she can identify these feelings quickly and use strategies for managing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are some of the strategies you can use to help you \u201cact as if.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on What You Can Offer, Rather Than Where You Fall Short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like Tania, many adults with ADHD can feel like an imposter because of the ways they feel they fall short due to their ADHD symptoms. One way to counter these feelings is to focus more on the strengths and gifts<\/strong> you bring to the table. To do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n