Ed. note: This post is by Jeena Cho, a Legal Mindfulness Strategist. She is the co-author of The Anxious Lawyer (affiliate link), a book written by lawyers for lawyers that makes mindfulness and meditation accessible and approachable. She is the creator of Mindful Pause, a self-paced online program for creating a more sustainable, peaceful, and productive law practice in just six minutes a day. Jeena offers actionable change strategies for reducing stress and anxiety while increasing productivity, joy, and satisfaction through mindfulness.
Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” I find that a lot of lawyers (myself included) struggle with this. No matter how many cases you win, how many glowing evaluations, the letters from clients praising your good work, there’s that nagging voice inside that keeps telling you that you aren’t good enough, you’re a fake, and any day now, everyone is going to figure it out.
If you also struggle with impostor syndrome, take heart. You aren’t the only one. Research also indicates women and people of color are more prone to struggling with it. Women are also more likely to talk about it versus men, who tend to struggle in silence.
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Here are three strategies for working with impostor syndrome.
- Give it a name
That voice inside of your head that’s constantly criticizing you, telling you how you’re a fraud, not good enough, a screw-up, give the voice a name. I call mine Little Ms. Perfect.