Imposter Phenomenon

 It was very insightful to listen to the podcast and read the article on imposter phenomenon. I do believe we all have had these feelings at some point in time. I definitely can relate as I tend to be a bit hard on myself and set standards for myself that at times can be unrealistic. I also tend to be a perfectionist on many things, well except for keeping my house neat and tidy. Yes, I just admitted it and I am ashamed to say it, especially as an OT student, my house is a mess. Ok, but in my defense, for those of you who do not know me I am married and have two children ages 11 and 7.5 yrs. old. Oh, we also have two dogs, two guinea pigs, one parakeet, and one hamster. Yes, I agree it is a bit much. And what in the world does all the animals have to do with imposter phenomenon? Well, I will tell you. I often think to myself, “Man no one can ever find out just what a zoo my house really is!” I feel as an OT student I should be a better “homemaker” and better able at keeping a nice neat and tidy house. Since mine is a bit of a hot mess, well, I must not know how to really be an OT. I took the test and I of course scored higher than I wanted. Meaning I have a stronger indication towards having imposter phenomenon than not. Is it possible to have Imposter’s phenomenon about having imposters phenomenon? I do not like admitting that I scored higher for having it than not, but I know it probably is very true.

I appreciate the article and the steps it suggests for reducing the need to enlist your imposter feelings. Self-Reflection is a great tool to use. In fact, we talk a lot about this in yoga. I also do think that is very important that we be aware of our natural tendencies.

 Self-study is the way to gain deeper insight on how you are truly reacting to different situations.  When we take the time to inquire how we might be behaving - we can then start to work towards less critical self talk and more towards knowing it is ok not to know everything.