Even Your Doctor Feels Like A Fraud Sometimes: The Truth About Imposter Syndrome in High Achieving Professionals

You're not alone in questioning if you're good enough to be in your profession.

Ever catch yourself wondering if you really belong in your profession? You're far from alone in this experience.

As a Kansas City therapist helping people live Life Your Way, I see imposter syndrome show up in all kinds of careers, even among those who seem confident and successful on the outside.

Let's keep it real: self-doubt is more common than you think and it doesn't mean you're any less capable.

Even the most experienced professionals sometimes wonder if they truly belong in their careers. If you’ve clicked on this blog, chances are you know exactly what that feels like.

Imposter syndrome gets the best of many hard working professionals.

While in school we often question ourselves and naively think that when we graduate and get into the workforce it will magically disappear. To our surprise not only did it not disappear, it ramped up in intensity and is a weight professionals carry around like bricks in a backpack you’re not allowed to put down.

Imposter syndrome isn’t a sign of incompetence. It’s often the byproduct of high performers holding themselves to relentless standards, always striving to improve and give their best.

If we actually break it down being a competent professional almost always includes a bit of self-doubt and I have a few thoughts as to why. Our education system and culture often push for more. Increased productivity, impact on community, adding to the literature, more billable hours, and faster processing speeds trying to make human functioning as efficient as a machine (and honestly in many professions as abused as one too).

Our drive to learn and grow is often fueled by the powerful sense of accomplishment we feel when we achieve something meaningful and when we are in the accelerated learning moments of our lives, learning is fun. Then there hits a point where that fun has turned into a pressure that if you’re not the expert in your field knowing the answer to every question as it comes up then you are not enough. This leads you to constantly question yourself, your education, and your overall abilities when the facts are left in the dust. You’re only able to do what you do because you’ve spent the time to learn the basics and stay committed to being a lifelong learner.

You know more than you realize and give yourself credit for.

This is why you feel a sense of ease when you check and recheck your knowledge with colleagues you have deemed “credible” because you trust others knowledge more than you trust your own. The problem with being a high achieving professional is the more information you know the more you acknowledge how much there is to learn. That never ending vision of always needing to grind to learn more is what reinforces imposter syndrome and has you doubting your own abilities instead of building your confidence.

This is where perfectionism and the pressure to just get things right the first time take over your thought process. It feels like everything you do in your day to day has high stakes and one wrong move means your world is going to collapse. When you function like this the pressure comes from the fear of being “found out” keeping you in hiding and constantly striving to be better or else you are a fraud.

For professionals the imposter syndrome often serves a purpose and we see this a lot in the healthcare profession or in people facing professions. Your empathy and care for others puts pressure to optimize your work to do more, help more people, fix the broken systems that we are forced to function in. You feel for the people you care for and that deep care is often why you are good at the job you are doing. The self-doubt of “do I know enough”, “am I doing enough” or even “I’m never going to be good enough” leads you questioning your competence and reality.

Here’s the deal: if you were incompetent you would not be making progress. Plain and simple you’re not giving yourself credit for the amazing things you do. 

Think about it, how many times has someone commented “I don’t know how you do what you do” and you think to yourself “I just do it”. You can’t tell me it has never happened because you hold yourself to a high standard and when you meet that you just keep upping the bar so you’re never actually satisfied.

So what do you do about it?

Challenge the inner bully that tells you you’re never good enough. Taking a step back to learn how to recognize and challenge the self-critical thoughts as they show up in daily life is a skill that every professional who tries to excel in their craft can greatly benefit from. How do you learn how to do this? Therapy can be a great start! If you’re a professional in the Kansas City area looking for a therapist that gets it, check out my website at lifeyourway.org and lets schedule a time to talk. If you’re not in the Kansas City area be sure to find a provider who you vibe with that will be able to challenge you, sit with defensiveness as it shows up, and help you take the next steps to believing in yourself and remove some of the bricks from your backpack.

Taking this step can help you rediscover the confidence you once felt when trying something new, before perfectionism taught you that success means never making mistakes.

Break the cycle of self-doubt and embrace your expertise. You spent years obtaining your knowledge and now it is time to embrace that you are a badass and know your stuff!

Resources to support challenging imposter syndrome:

Therapy with me: I am a Kansas City therapist and work with a lot of professionals in healthcare and high pressure career paths on exactly this! Check out my website at lifeyourway.org and send me a message to get connected for individual or group therapy support. (Licensed in MO, located in Kansas City, MO)

Evidence-Based Resources for Managing Imposter Syndrome

Apps:

• Sanvello: Offers cognitive behavioral tools, mood tracking, and guided journeys for managing anxiety and self-doubt.

• Insight Timer: Free meditations and courses, including tracks on self-compassion and overcoming imposter feelings.

• MindShift CBT: Focuses on anxiety management and includes exercises relevant to imposter syndrome.

  
  

Books & Readings:

• "The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women" by Dr. Valerie Young: Practical strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome.

• "Presence" by Amy Cuddy: Techniques to boost confidence and manage self-doubt.

• "Self-Compassion" by Kristin Neff: Evidence-based practices for building resilience against imposter feelings.

  
  

Additional Online Resources:

• The American Psychological Association (APA): Articles and tip sheets on imposter syndrome and professional well-being.

• Mindful.org: Guided meditations and articles on self-compassion and overcoming self-doubt.