ADHD and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

ADHD and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome July 22, 2019 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children T.T./Getty Images Impostor syndrome is a term created by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. It is used to describe high-achieving people who struggle to recognize their accomplishments. These people live in fear of others finding out they are a fraud. Of course, they aren’t a fraud; their successes are a direct result of their hard work and effort. How ADHD Leads to Imposter Syndrome Many people with ADHD feel like they are imposters. One of the reasons for this is that you hide your struggles from the general public. People, such as your boss and coworkers, know that you are smart and get results. But you know you have to work more hours than anyone else at the office to get those results. You meet deadlines by pulling all-nighters and by making personal sacrifices, such as less time with your family. Only a spouse or close family member knows the anguish and struggle you experience. When you keep part of yourself hidden, it can cause feelings of shame and guilt. It also causes fear about what would happen if people found out about the real you. 5 Behaviors of People With Imposter Syndrome Judith S. Beck has identified behaviors that people with impostor syndrome do. Do any of these sound familiar? You don’t believe your success was connected to your hard work, intelligence, or creativity.  Instead, you feel it must be due to luck, a fluke, or another random factor.You don’t celebrate a success. Instead, you look at the next thing that needs to be done. Rather than feel proud of the presentation you did, you think, Yes, but what about the one in two weeks? I have to prepare for that. You spend no time basking in the glory of a job well done.You spend lots of time and energy thinking about what didn’t go well, even if it was only a very tiny detail. You dwell on the negative, and you spend no time thinking about your successes or what did go well.You disregard your accomplishments or the praise you receive for them. You don’t believe you deserve it or feel that you should have done better.You regularly compare yourself to others, and it is always unfavorable. You might think, They didn’t have to work through the night to prepare the presentation, and they got better re sults than me.” When people with ADHD realize there is a name for how they have been feeling, they usually feel a huge sense of relief. Knowing that they aren’t alone is comforting. 3 Ways to Overcome Imposter Syndrome Here are some suggestions to help you overcome Imposter Syndrome. Address Shame: Addressing shame is very helpful. Remember ADHD  is a neurological condition and the parts of you that you are hiding are a direct result of having ADHD.  ?Cognitive behavior therapy:  Working with a cognitive behavior therapist is helpful. They can help you to balance your thoughts. Rather than focusing on the negative, they will help you to see the full picture.Keep track:  Start to track what actions you do so that you can reap the success that you have. For example, if you ran a half marathon in less than two hours, realize that it wasn’t just due to luck. You probably went running four times a week for 16 weeks and ate healthy food. Your hard work resulted in a great time even though there might have been an element of luck, such as the weather may have been favorable that day. When you track your actions, it becomes easier to see what role you played in your success. This, in turn, makes it easier to own and celebrate your successes. What parts of your life are you going to track?