How to Stop Second-Guessing Yourself and Overcome Imposter Syndrome at Work
- Aug 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 10
Written by Graham Gallivan
The promotion you’ve worked hard to get finally happens. Your manager trusts your judgment and the team respects you. All is well until you hit a point in the day where you’re rewriting the same email for the fourth time because something about it feels off.
Many high-achieving professionals spend their days questioning whether they are actually good at their jobs or are good at fooling everyone else. Imposter syndrome doesn’t care one bit what your resume says or how well prepared you are for this role. Title, tenure, talent, none of it makes you immune to these feelings. If anything, the more capable you are, the louder that inner critic becomes. More success means more to protect, and more fear of the moment when someone sees through your facade.
Why Imposter Syndrome Hits Skilled People the Hardest
The strangest part of imposter syndrome is that it shows up the strongest in people who are genuinely skilled at their jobs. High performers tend to fixate on what they don’t know instead of appreciating everything they do.
The gap between competence and confidence isn’t a flaw in your logic. It’s a natural response to caring about your work when you’re in an industry that focuses on speed and certainty. Slowing down to double-check yourself can feel like falling behind.
Doubt isn’t an enemy. A little bit here and there keeps you sharp and on top of your skills rather than coasting. The trouble starts when that inner voice drowns out your track record of experience.
What Can Help
Trying to eliminate self-doubt is a losing game. The goal should be to change your relationship with it. Notice any concerns you have. Sit with them, even when uncomfortable. Then move forward anyway.
You can start to make a meaningful difference by:
Separating thought from fact: Feeling like a fraud is exactly that, a feeling. It’s not a verdict. Naming it as just a thought creates some space for you to act despite it.
Keep actual data on yourself: Most people wrestling with imposter syndrome are bad historians of their own wins. Keep a log of your successes, compliments, problems solved, and projects that went well. Pull them out when your brain starts to tell you you’re not enough.
Noticing the comparison trap: Other people’s brilliance may seem effortless from your view. You’re comparing your inside experience to someone else’s outside performance. It’s not a fair fight.
Saying it out loud: Imposter syndrome grows in silence. Tell a colleague, a partner, a therapist, and you’ll usually find it’s more common than you thought.
Overcoming imposter syndrome doesn’t require confidence to show up first. It just asks you to keep acting in line with your values and abilities, doubt or no doubt.
When It Goes Beyond Doubt Alone
Sometimes imposter syndrome will pass on its own. Other times, it is tangled with anxiety and burnout that’s been building for quite some time. Possibly long before this particular promotion was even on the radar.
If self-doubt is eating into your quality of life or your relationships, it’s time to start paying attention to it. It may have less to do with your job performance and more to do with anxiety running the show elsewhere in your life as well.
You don’t have to keep struggling with this feeling that you’re a fraud about to get caught. Therapy can help you trace where this pattern started and build a steadier sense of self, one that doesn’t depend on constant achievement to hold up.
If you’re ready to explore the roots of your anxiety and understand why it’s been in control for so long, I’m here to help. Learn more about therapy for anxiety by exploring my website, or reach out to get started.
