The negative thoughts that impostor syndrome creates in your mind can also affect your health and self-esteem over time by sabotaging the way you treat yourself physically.
What is imposter syndrome?
Impostor syndrome (IS), also known as impostor phenomenon, is a mindset or set of beliefs what do they tell you that you don’t deserve what you have, that you haven’t earned your success, achievements, or relationships, or that you’re not worthy of anything better.
Surprisingly, the impostor syndrome It’s not a matter of low self-esteem and the people it affects do not underperform. Imposter syndrome affects people who are seeing success personally or professionallyI hope implement they don’t think they deserve that success.
Although we all have moments of doubt, the people most likely to have impostor syndrome are perfectionists and «Type A» personalities, people who expect a lot from themselves and those around them.
You’re also more likely to have impostor syndrome if your family tended to label you as one thing or another (good labels, but labels nonetheless), or if your family tended to put you and your achievements on a pedestal or support it. to the point of making you feel that you (or your achievements) were superior to others.
Does this ring a bell?
Here are 7 horrible lies imposter syndrome tells you:
Reviewing the details of Impostor Syndrome, I realized that it is related to seven lies I often hear when coaching clients back to health. These lies are directly related to your physical condition, your weight, your nutrition and your general health.
I want to share each of them with you and also offer you some ways you can counter those lies and steal the power they have been stealing from you.
Lie #1: You don’t deserve good things.
Whether you have a lot of good things (a nice house, a great job, a great partner, or even a lot of nice clothes) or you just miss them, impostor syndrome tells you that you don’t deserve them.
If you think you don’t deserve good things, it’s hard to justify hiring a trainer or spending a little more money to eat high-quality organic food or even feel like you deserve to look and feel your best.
The truth:
Health is not a privilege, it is a right and a responsibility. We all deserve to be healthy, just like children in Africa deserve clean water and children here at home deserve healthy school lunches. In addition, you have a responsibility to be healthy for your family, your children, your partner, and even your employer.
You don’t have to «earn the right» to eat the healthiest foods you can find or get help choosing the right exercise program. You were born with it.
Lie #2: You are not real or worthy.
This lie tells you that you don’t belong where you are, that you are a fraud.
How many times have you walked into a gym and felt completely out of place? How often do you long to join that Zumba class or spin class and hesitate because you’re not athletic/fit/coordinated enough?
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To do:
Remember that everyone else in that class is too busy worrying about not being athletic, fit, or coordinated enough. They are too busy focusing on themselves to notice if you have rhythm. Give that class three sessions in a row, and I’m willing to bet you’ll make at least one classmate, or at least feel much more comfortable.
Lie #3: Don’t even try, because you’ll just fail (or already have)
This preemptive attack on your confidence can be debilitating because it prevents you from even trying anything or trying again/trying a different approach.
Many people give up trying to find a diet that works for them because they couldn’t stick with the latest one, or think fitness isn’t for them because they couldn’t hack that CrossFit class.
To do:
It would never occur to you to tell your child to stop trying to learn to ride on two wheels just because he fell once. Why not? What makes you and your situation different?
Here’s another thought: How do you think those people in that CrossFit class got so good at it? They almost died trying, that’s how!
You didn’t fail your lifestyle change, it failed you, so try something different! If CrossFit isn’t for you, try a new activity each week until you find something that works for you and your current fitness level.
Lie #4: The negative voices in your head are the only ones telling the truth.
This one can really crush your spirit, especially if you’re just starting out or in the midst of making healthy lifestyle changes. He says the exercise program won’t work or the weight loss won’t last, etc. He tells you that those annoying and negative thoughts in your head are true.
You find it hard to try to get motivated or stay motivated, no matter how hard you want to reach that weight loss or exercise goal.
To do:
If you can’t command those voices to shut up, then turn them off! For a week, write down every positive thing anyone says about you, big or small. Jot down some of the nicest compliments someone has ever paid you, about your character, your skills, or whatever. Then add some of your own.
When those negative voices start to play, get out your notes and drown out those voices.
Lie #5: You are not as good as everyone else.
It compares you unfavorably to others and makes you feel awkward, out of place, or socially inferior.
Avoid group workouts that she might enjoy or healthy activities like a neighborhood walking group. You don’t ask that super fit woman she’s working out next to you how to use that cool looking ab machine. She has trouble staying accountable for her fitness and diet plans and goals.
To do:
Start small by asking someone you already know well to be your diet buddy or by saying «yes» to your co-worker’s invitation to walk through lunch. People who work out with a friend are much more likely to stick to their goals, so have your significant other or best friend join you for yoga, vegan cooking classes, or whatever you want to try.
Pretty soon you’ll be asking that stranger at the gym how he got those shoulders.
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Lie #6: Your successes are not worth celebrating.
It kills your motivation and drive by telling you that a pound of fat loss is just a drop in the bucket or that being able to run a mile is nothing compared to what everyone else is doing.
By stealing your pride for your small milestones, this lie can completely derail your drive and keep you from feeling good about what you’ve accomplished so far. You need those good feelings to keep working toward your goals and to keep you happy as you move from Point A to Point B.
To do:
Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small the milestone and no matter how small the reward.
If you’ve been sticking to your whole-food diet for a whole week, go out and buy yourself a scoop of sherbet or a fairly new place. Lost a pound of fat? Buy yourself a nice new blouse or treat yourself to a new lipstick to enhance that proud smile. Did you go from barely being able to walk to your car to running a mile? How about those fancy running shoes or a night out creating a new playlist for your iPod or phone? Or maybe a pedicure for those hard-working feet?
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It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something. You have earned it.
Lie #7: Your past achievements are a farce, so your future achievements will be too.
This one tells you that luck, connections, or happy accident are responsible for your past achievements and would be responsible for any future achievements, so why bother putting in the effort or reaching higher?
It prevents you from progressing from one goal to the next or even using any past triumphs to help you feel like you can accomplish something else, like a 30-pound weight loss or zero knowledge of weight training.
To do:
Remember that we are all making it up as we go along. Everyone wonders if some past achievement or result was just dumb luck.
The best thing to do when this particular lie comes up is to talk to other people you know and admire. Ask them about their own doubts and how they see themselves. Realize that we are all human, even people who seem to have everything under control.
There’s nothing like finding out that your super-healthy co-worker used to be a junk food addict or that your bodybuilding friend at the gym started out not knowing the difference between a dumbbell row and a weight bench. These things remind us that everyone starts from scratch and they also remind us that our own progress is worthy and real.
Overcome imposter syndrome
Listen, we get enough negativity and shyness from the media. We don’t have to bear it within ourselves. We are loved because we love others, we have friends because we are good and loving friends, and we are trusted by our employer because we work hard.
In the same way, we deserve to eat foods that make us feel good and do things for our bodies that help us feel safe and happy in our own skin so that we can enjoy life, participate fully in it, and continue to be all those things that we are. our friends and family believe in us, even when we don’t see it.
So stop giving these lies an audience and start repeating the positive truths to yourself until you believe them too.