In my work as a therapist in South Carolina, I often see high achieving professionals who appear successful on the outside but privately struggle with anxiety and self doubt. One thing about anxiety is that it is actually a protective emotion. I know that may sound contradictory since the symptoms often feel less protective and more overwhelming. Anxiety’s role is to alert you when something may be wrong. The challenge comes into play when we begin to respond irrationally and cannot differentiate between something that is truly harmful and something that is simply uncomfortable.
What Is the Impostor Phenomenon
One pattern I frequently see in my work is something called the impostor phenomenon.
What many high achieving professionals experience today is not a new psychological pattern. While doing some research, I came across a peer reviewed article written in 1978 called The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women. I found it fascinating because it described how many successful people secretly believed they were not competent, even with their degrees, promotions, and accomplishments. They feared that one day someone would discover they were not as capable as others believed.
People can earn recognition, perform well, and still feel as though they are simply getting by on luck or timing.
When I work with my clients, one thing I often ask them to consider is the difference between who we are and who people think we are. Success on the outside does not always change the story happening inside our mind.
I did find parts of that article to be dated since it was written in the seventies and focused primarily on women and their perceived limitations. The study did not include men because the authors suggested that men often attributed failure to the task not being good enough, while women attributed failure to a flaw in their own abilities.
I later found a more recent article published in 2024 called Prevalence of Imposter Syndrome and Its Association with Anxiety and Stress. This research included both men and women who experienced impostor feelings. What stood out to me was that decades later researchers are still observing the same pattern. Highly successful people continue to doubt their worth despite their achievements.
The study found that individuals experiencing impostor syndrome were significantly more likely to report higher levels of anxiety and stress.
Why Successful Professionals Still Feel Like Frauds
Let me ask you a question.
Do you ever find yourself wondering, what if I am not actually as capable as people think I am?
That constant pressure to prove yourself and the fear of not measuring up can take a real emotional toll.
For many professionals, the outside world sees competence and success. This goes back to something I often ask my clients. How do you think the world sees you?
Many of their answers come from a place of perfectionism. They believe people see them as the good spouse, the reliable employee, the successful professional, the person who always has it together. People see how well they perform at work, the goals they accomplish, and the lifestyle they are able to maintain.
But internally how we see ourselves can be very different. There is often a quiet voice questioning our competence.
High achieving professionals often live in environments where performance is constantly being evaluated. Promotions, recognition, and even respect can feel tied to productivity and results. Over time this can create a mindset where self worth becomes connected to achievement. When success becomes the measuring stick for identity, the pressure to maintain that success can create chronic anxiety.
The article from the seventies also discussed how impostor feelings can begin in childhood. One example described a family dynamic where one child is labeled as the intellectual one. Another child may then feel pressure to compete by constantly trying to prove their worth. The problem is that no matter how hard they try it never feels like enough.
Another example involved parents who repeatedly tell their child that they are naturally gifted or exceptionally smart. The child grows up believing they should always perform well. Eventually they encounter something that challenges them and does not come easily. Instead of seeing the situation as a normal learning experience they feel pressure to hide the struggle. They begin to fear that others will discover they are not perfect after all.
Now let us move past the academic discussion for a moment. I just wanted to share some insight into what I read.
Impostor syndrome is a witch!
One minute you are riding the high of getting praise at work for de escalating a situation, managing a crisis between coworkers, or helping your company hit an important goal. You feel confident and empowered. Nobody can tell you nothing.
Then suddenly you wake up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat, anxious about a meeting you have to lead in a few hours.
Your thoughts start cycling. You begin telling yourself that you do not know enough and that people will discover you should not be in this position. Maybe you even think about calling out sick so someone you believe is more qualified can take over.
You do not reach out to your support system because remember how people see you. They see perfection.
So what do you do?
Most people put on a mask and push through those feelings while continuing to live a life that feels secretive. Externally people envy you. They question why they cannot receive the same opportunities or lifestyle that you seem to have.
Internally you feel overwhelmed. You feel like you are fighting for your emotional survival and sometimes it feels like you are losing.
But my good friend there is a solution.
How to Challenge Impostor Thoughts
One of the things I love helping my clients do is challenge their thoughts. I often tell them something very simple.
If you believe it you think it.
If you think it you feel it.
If you feel it you behave it.
When you learn to challenge and disrupt that core belief new thoughts emotions and behaviors can begin to develop.
Here is a small technique you can try that comes from Gestalt theory. Please remember that this is not a substitute for therapy. What works for one person may not work for everyone.
Start by keeping track of the compliments you receive about your competence. Write them down in a journal.
Next notice how you internally reject those compliments by questioning your abilities. Become aware of the ways you deny yourself the opportunity to receive positive feedback.Then practice doing the opposite.
Allow yourself to sit with those compliments and let them nourish you. Over time this helps create a new narrative that weakens the power of impostor syndrome.
I want to leave you with this thought.
You have worked extremely hard to get where you are today. A non negotiable boundary you can set with yourself is this: I am allowed to feel discouraged at times but I do not get to devalue who I am because of temporary doubt.
Find something safe to do when those thoughts start creeping in. Scaring yourself into believing you cannot do something that you are clearly doing is not helping you. You have already proven you can do hard things.
You got this!
I will see you in the next blog...or perhaps in a session!
If you are a professional struggling with anxiety or impostor syndrome and want support therapy can help you develop healthier ways to challenge these patterns.