by Lelsey Brown, MS, ATC

Imposter Syndrome — it’s that nagging feeling of being a fraud, no matter how much you’ve achieved or how hard you’ve worked. You know, the one where success feels like luck, and you’re constantly worried someone will ‘find you out.’ Though it’s not a psychiatric disorder, imposter syndrome can still mess with your head, linking self-doubt with anxiety and even depression. What do we do when this confidence drainer creeps into our heads? How do we combat it so it doesn’t take hold?

The Shape Of The Imposter

For industrial athletes, imposter syndrome can take different shapes. The most common forms are the perfectionist, the superman/superwoman, and the soloist.

Those that display qualities of the perfectionist will likely set goals that are nearly impossible to attain, then be disappointed when they aren’t able to achieve those goals.

The superman/superwoman qualities can be seen in those that push themselves to work harder and longer than they are expected to prove their worth. These industrial athletes might present signs of burnout, but will never communicate such feelings.

And, the soloist will feel the need to complete every task on their own, even the daunting ones. They may experience feelings of being overwhelmed yet will struggle with asking for help for fear of showing signs of weakness or incompetence.

Prevention In Practice

So how do we tackle these feelings? We have to start by acknowledging them. Yes, that means actually accepting that we feel this way.

Practicing journaling is a great way to accomplishing this self-acceptance. Journaling gives us an outlet to get our feelings out of our heads.

Then, let’s lean on our support systems that can objectively help us to work through all the thoughts and feelings we’ve experienced and help to reach a place where we can overcome them.

Practicing mindfulness is a great tool for the industrial athlete to use to overcome the feelings of imposter syndrome. It helps us be fully present, aware of where we are and what we are, and not be overwhelmed by what is happening around us. Mindfulness can be practiced at any moment in any environment.

And remember, setting micro-goals (small, attainable steps – remember those from our Building Grit theme?) can help build confidence and give you those little wins to celebrate along the way.

Lesley Brown, MS, ATC|| Lesley holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Texas at El Paso in Kinesiology and a Master’s Degree from Azusa Pacific University in Athletic Training. She has 15 years of experience in the secondary setting, 2 years in the collegiate setting, and now 3 years in the industrial setting. In her free time, Lesley loves going to the gym (weight lifting, spin, and yoga), hiking, and going to the beach.

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Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips for the industrial athlete from Work Right NW!