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Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here.

Do you feel like a fraud? Many of us do. Perhaps you started a new job and believe you have less experience than you need, despite being the perfect candidate on paper. Or maybe your boss trusted you with an assignment that you feel totally unprepared to lead, regardless of your flawless track record.

There is a name for this feeling: imposter syndrome. Around one-third of young people suffer from it, and 70% of everyone else is likely to experience it at some point in their lives.

Imposter syndrome is often tied to our identities and sense of self-worth. Back in the late '70s psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term in a research paper, noting three critical attributes of the phenomenon:

  1. Thinking that people have an exaggerated view of your abilities
  2. The fear of being exposed as a fraud
  3. The continuous tendency to downplay your achievements

Imposter syndrome typically shows up when we decide to take on new roles or new responsibilities, and it can result in feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and guilt. Those who experience imposter syndrome may end up sabotaging their own success, obsessing over minor mistakes, or working twice as hard to prove themselves as a result.

If you are beginning a new (or first) job, or just going through a change at work, overcoming imposter syndrome may feel impossible, like trying to remove a piece of clothing stuck to your skin. But if you fail to manage it now, it can have a detrimental impact on your performance and lead to burnout and depression in the longer term.

Here are a few research-backed strategies that have helped me, and others, overcome these destructive feelings. You can become a better version of yourself at work, and in life, by giving them a try.

Keep a positive mindset.

Many of us tend to downplay our achievements. In attempt to be humble, we brush them off by saying our success was just a product of "luck" or "good timing." While humility is admirable, too much of it can hurt rather than help you, especially if you are already fostering feelings of self-doubt.

Valerie Young  is an expert who has built her career around studying and helping thousands of workers tackle imposter syndrome. Her doctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst focused on observing and eliminating internal restrictions to success, with the majority of her subjects being women of color. While there are many systemic obstacles women of color face at work ( and which we should not ignore ), Young's strategy aims to empower individuals by encouraging us to intentionally acknowledge our accomplishments and abilities.

In a sense, it can be compared to mindfulness. When we push ourselves to remain in the present, as opposed to posit about the future or worry about the past, we can focus more clearly on the reality of our situations and more easily let anxious thoughts go.

For example, say your boss has given you an assignment you feel you are not equipped to lead. Instead of ruminating about why your boss chose you or catastrophizing about all the things that could go wrong, stay present and acknowledge your reality: Your boss believes in you and trusts you to do good work.

Another tactic that I've found helpful is based on the advice of life coach and founder of Confident and Killing It , Tiwalola Ogunlesi, who recommends we acknowledge our achievements by completing a "monthly wins tracker" to chronicle our progress.

Essentially, you break a spreadsheet into two columns:

  • Type of win (big or small)
  • Descriptions (what actions you completed)

While completing the exercise, Ogunlesi emphasizes the importance of reflecting on questions that inspire you to discover your full powers. For instance, "What have I done that makes me feel capable?" or "If a younger me could see my life now, what would she be proud of?" (Ogunlesi even has a free tracker template available for download on her website).

Ogunlesi's exercise was inspired by psychologist Martin Seligman's Theory of Wellbeing, which finds (among other things) that people feel more hopeful about the future when they look back on their life with a sense of achievement. "Imposter syndrome is just temporary memory loss, where you have forgotten all the amazing things about you," she told me. "We can mitigate imposter syndrome by reflecting on and reminding ourselves of our strengths on a regular basis."

Celebrate your wins.

We often get so focused on the outcomes of our work that we forget to take a pause and honor ourselves. We worry that it is a waste of time or that it will make us seem like "show-offs." But celebrating yourself is a simple, and fun, way to combat imposter syndrome.

Ogunlesi suggests thinking about the many ways you can share the lessons you've learned from your accomplishments. "By reframing self-promotion as an exchange of value and self-enthusiasm, you can inspire others while mitigating your internal fears," she said.

For illustration, if you write a post on LinkedIn celebrating your new job, consider mentioning what you learned during the hiring process. Did you discover that you are resilient or the importance of soft skills? Whatever it was, don't keep it to yourself — you never know who you'll influence.

"There is no point being the world's best secret," Ogunlesi said. "You can have the best product or service, but nobody will know you exist if you do not put yourself out there." The more you put yourself out there, the more people will see you as a thought leader in your industry. While external validation can only go so far, seeing your brilliance appreciated by others can help you let go of the notion that you're a "fraud."

Finally, some of us need to more actively celebrate in order to feel the full force of our successes. If this sounds like you, consider taking yourself to dinner, texting a friend about your accomplishment, or even buying yourself something small. Whatever you choose, do something! It doesn't have to be huge, but it should matter to you. When we recognize our wins (regardless of their size), our brains release the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, which motivates us to accomplish even more .

Use social media (mindfully).

The internet can be very good and very evil when it comes to building up or breaking down feelings of imposter syndrome. We are now able to look into the lives of popular role models on social media platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. We can interact with, follow, and connect with people we never had access to before.

You can use these powerful tools to research people you admire and see what they're doing with their lives. Find out how they got to where they are today and learn from their success stories. Michelle Obama, for instance, is a powerhouse woman who many people admire. But guess what? A quick Google search will bring you to a YouTube video in which she speaks about the feelings of imposter syndrome she experienced throughout her career. The risks she took regardless resulted in her success. While this is, admittedly, an exceptional example, Obama's story is a powerful reminder to never doubt your own potential.

Having said that, there is a caveat: I would recommend that you be very intentional when choosing your role models online. There are times when you may find accessible people within your network who you can connect with — people who you can meet in person, build relationships with, and even turn to for advice. But on all social media platforms, there is a risk of following people (aka influencers leading perfectly staged lives ) who might contribute to feelings of inadequacy and poor self-esteem .

To gain the benefits of the internet and surpass the downsides, practice self-awareness as you scroll through your feeds and score the search engines. Unfollow people who bring you down and focus on the educational or inspirational content that feeds your best self, that reminds you to express gratitude for your wins, to give yourself grace, and visualize the future you want.

Make a plan.

This advice may seem obvious, but the idea here is to be strategic — not reactive. For instance, let's say you've tried the advice above and you still feel like a total imposter. What can you do? To avoid letting your nerves get the better of you, I would suggest coming up with an organized plan for success.

When you feel like a fraud, you may naturally panic. To prove yourself, you may produce a long list of goals and deadlines to hit without taking the time to strategize how you will reach them. As a result, you may end up entirely overwhelmed and unable to execute your objectives effectively. You set yourself up to fail before you even begin.

A better way to manage your anxious feelings is to get organized. Break down your goals into smaller, more manageable chunks and plan to tackle them one at a time. While completing a vast number of tasks can feel overwhelming, being consistent will get you far.

In his book, Atomic Habits, author and speaker James Clear emphasizes the impact of "one percent better every day." Set aside time on your calendar to work on your most important tasks of the week. I recommend scheduling a chunk of time for completing several smaller, lower impact tasks (reading emails, copyediting, scheduling, etc.) and separate chunks of time to work exclusively on higher impact projects (one by one). This way, you manage what you need to do in both the short and long term .

Lastly, you can protect your ego from the start by reminding yourself that you will face obstacles. In fact, you should expect and prepare for them to avoid any soul-crushing setbacks or surprises. Remember that even the most accomplished people have room for improvement. Making mistakes is inevitable. If you learn from those mistakes, it's okay to fail every now and then.

Part of the journey to overcoming imposter syndrome is learning from each experience you face. Not every piece of advice will work for everyone, so take notes along the way and reflect on what feels best to you in different situations. Adjust your plan based on your newfound knowledge, and keep adjusting. Imposter syndrome is a battle that you can, and with practice, will win.