Welcome to the first of our new blog series Discussion Highlights! Over the past few years we’ve had some great discussions and advice shared on our Facebook group. On the third Monday of each month, we will summarize one of the topic discussions here. This week, we tackle that sneaky mind-monster that plagues so many of us: imposter syndrome!

Imposter syndrome is that nagging feeling that you don’t deserve to be where you are, that you are just waiting for someone to realize it and catch you out. You may feel you aren’t good enough, that it’s only luck that got you where you are, that you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop and people to find out you don’t actually know what you are doing: these are all part of imposter syndrome. So what do we do about it, and how can we overcome it? Here are a few tips and words of advice from our Women of Fisheries: 

1. Know it’s really common. It’s easy to think you must be the only one who feels this way, that everyone else has it together and knows what they are doing. But it turns out that imposter syndrome is SUPER COMMON. It can be helpful to know that almost everyone else feels this way, too. 

2. Name it. Sometimes simply knowing that what you are feeling has a name can help disentangle it from your own feelings of self-worth. Recognize it in yourself, accept that it is there, but don’t listen to it or what it tells you about yourself (because it’s wrong and you are awesome!).

3. Fake it ‘til you make it. It’s hard to totally get rid of imposter syndrome. Many of our members found it helpful to bluff confidence (knowing that probably everyone else is doing the same). Tell yourself you are confident, that you belong where you are, and trust in yourself. Eventually, you will start to believe it. 

4. Find your cheerleaders. Surround yourself with supportive friends and allies. Reach out to them when you need a boost. Friends can help remind you that those things your imposter syndrome is telling you are not true, and that you are totally capable! 

5. Accept what you don’t know. Sometimes we can feel a pressure to know everything, and feel like imposters when we don’t have certain skills or expertise. But no one can know it all! Accept that it’s okay to ask for help, okay to ask questions, and that not knowing something DOES NOT MEAN you are not qualified to be where you are. We all love learning, and it’s okay to not have all the answers. 

One thing that became clear in our group discussion is how common this feeling really is. If or when imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, hopefully these words of advice from the Women of Fisheries can help you tackle it. Because, let’s face it, you are awesome!