My experience would be yes, but in delightful ways like "oh let me stretch out my hip so I don't pull a muscle when I sneeze" or "I'm gonna go to bed at 9? Score!" not like feeling mature or anything.
Genrally I've found truth beats it. Then again my imposter syndrome is 'am I ill enough to deserve help' at which point my illnesses throw me on my backside and prove their point :S
I have a so much to say about this! (writing a blog about this topic now)
As an imposter syndrome survivor, yes it can and should fade. But comes from looking around and realizing that it never be there in the first place... (and also feeling okay if parts of it never leave as much as we'd want)
I made full professor, then left for my dream job that seemed like they wrote the job description just for me. Still have it. But try to ignore it and have learned over the years to trust those around me who say I am doing a good job and I am pretty damn sure those around you are saying that :)
depends on context. I feel it way less now, but when I’m trying to pay attention to things I should understand but struggle to bc I find them so boring (like grant budgets and finances, which have gradually become more important in my day to day) I feel like a real dummy (don’t tell)
@cassie-boness.bsky.social was reminded of this skeet today when I gave a practice talk that is pretty high stakes — haven’t felt that petrified and anxious in a loooong time and a good and humbling reminder that trainees might feel this way regularly
Mine sure hasn’t. With a few key exceptions, it’s gotten worse. However, at least it makes more sense to me now. I have a clearer picture of just how much I don’t know and, despite that, I find myself in rooms with amazing people every day.
There is no one answer to your question the potential psycho-neuro-biological and evolutionary roots of this phenomenon are real ifor my cleints it is debliating on `self` and triggers are inter and intra they hidden, in the academc world its silent threat, its and emotionaly dysregualtory affect
I don't think it ever really goes away. I've struggled with it nearly all my life, even more since I started living alone. It's not fun to deal with at all.
One trick I have found is to try to find the voice that's speaking in your head. Is it yours, or is it somebody else's disguising itself as yours? For me, it wss my fathers voice because of how much verbal amd emotional abuse I received. It was easier to deal with when I realized that.
This is my new favorite take on the impostor phenomenon (from Aaron Dinin): when you experience it, just reframe it as a signal that you are challenging yourself outside your comfort zone and growing, and that is EXACTLY where you should be: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCNRtWgOYkn/?igsh=anpxdGcwbmxmZGM1
If you feel it with your level of success then probably not! Maybe if we limit ourselves to doing safe things we are already good at, it would fade, but I'd rather feel imposter syndrome than boredom/complacency. We are in such a talented field and its so easy to feel inferior to all the rock stars!
I embrace it. Nobody seems to realize how little I know or how lazy I feel almost always. Instead they give me all these degrees and interesting jobs to do. I'm not a mere imposter, I'm an imposter mastermind who can fool the whole world!
I've just accepted I'm bad at everything. But that lets me ask for help from brilliant people like you, which is a big bonus. We're all just fumbling around, and there's always someone better than us in every dimension.
Well, you both are seriously wonderful collaborators and I feel really lucky to get to learn from you.
Honestly, I think I settled into acceptance over time. There's always people better at something that me in every area. And there's a lot I don't know. And that's OK with me.
1/2
Because I'm always learning and improving in different ways. And I often get to reach out and collaborate with people who are smarter than me, which is really one of the best things about this work.
As @joshuagrubbsphd.bsky.social would say, the friends we made along the way!
Needed to see this thread today, TYSM 🙏🏼😭 I’ll add that when my imposter syndrome is flaring, I try to reflect on the environment around me. Is there any toxicity that’s fueling the imposter syndrome? That helped me through a tough situation in grad school where for years I blamed “imposter syndrome”
If I'm taking risks or challenging myself, the imposter syndrome is very loud. If I'm stagnant but content, it fades to the background. If I'm stagnant and not content, I'm usually too depressed to care.
I’m 68. I still have it but mostly I just don’t care any more because the clock is counting down. I do stuff for me and care less what happens after or what folks think.
It did fade for me but I still have low confidence. I'm starting to accept it, it's part of me, I actually quite like it in certain contexts and I also come to appreciate it as a sign that I'm on to something outside my comfort zone whenever I feel it strongly.
For me it's replaced by the certainty that for any given thing I'm good at, someone else is better at it, but that's true of everyone else also.
And the growing sense that the most important things I do aren't because I'm better at things than others, it's just because I hang in there doing them.
Mine still hangs around but with self-compassion its intensity has lessened. It’s important to remind yourself that your worth isn’t tied to perfection or constant achievement. Recognising the gap between how you feel and reality is a powerful first step. You’re enough as you are.
No but it can shift and get weird sometimes. E.g. really hate having to present at dept meetings or faculty Senate now, not so much actual academic conferences though
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https://bsky.app/profile/zjayres.bsky.social/post/3lbdknx27ex2u
As an imposter syndrome survivor, yes it can and should fade. But comes from looking around and realizing that it never be there in the first place... (and also feeling okay if parts of it never leave as much as we'd want)
Hang in there! ❤️
And her name is @ashleylwatts.bsky.social
@cassie-boness.bsky.social mine is worsening and i don't know what to do about that, but i'm here for you and you're awesome 🖤
Honestly, I think I settled into acceptance over time. There's always people better at something that me in every area. And there's a lot I don't know. And that's OK with me.
1/2
As @joshuagrubbsphd.bsky.social would say, the friends we made along the way!
And the growing sense that the most important things I do aren't because I'm better at things than others, it's just because I hang in there doing them.