IMPOSTER SYNDROME: A YOUTH’S PRESPECTIVE - NOT AMONG US





“FRAUD!!!” the voices inside your head says but it isn’t the voices in your head saying that it is the self-doubt and anxiety causing you to feel that way and those things contribute to a phenomenon  called Imposter Syndrome.

 Impostor Syndrome isn’t a new phenomenon and it is more common than you think despite the level of success, skill or achievement of an individual even the most confident person like President Donald Trump can have it. For the benefit of those hearing this term for the time.

Impostor Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which that happens to an individual who has doubt in their success, achievement or skill. Alternatively, it is the phenomenon that makes a person to feel inadequate, less intelligent, less creative or talented than they are in actuality. This issue for us youths is very crucial because they are many of us that are very talented that are talented in different  aspects of life and once that fear cripples in we under- utilize our  God-given and as well acquired or learnt skill for the benefit of the society and the nation as a whole. Like I mentioned previously all humans will experience this in their lifetime even I too has experienced it.

I attended a Model United Nations back in July 2020 that was hosted by my school I was the Delegate to the Republic of Peru in the UN Women Committee it was my first time by the way. I remember the day prior I was so excited but when the day came mood change and that mood extended to the end of the conference after passing the resolution, I told my mom and my sister that I won’t accept the Certificate of Participation they asked me why not . I answered that I feel as if I didn’t say or contribute anything meaningful and they were shocked with what I was saying due to the fact that they heard it when I was practicing it. As I told them, there were disappointed and I was too on myself. The funny thing is that when I gave my speech, the Chair liked it. After the conference, I made a friend let’s call her Coco. Coco was the delegate of France, so I asked her if I did well (since she is the most experienced than all of the delegates there) and told her that it was my first time. She was shocked to my surprise and she told me that she thought I was an experienced delegate. From that day, I have been questioning myself why I feel what I feel. And I found that it is Imposter Syndrome and been doing research on it.

I know this the part where the writer will offer solutions but no I won’t offer you a solution but an advice because not all solution can be generalized nor can all solutions when applied yield the same results. What I do when I feel this way when working on a project is that I try and calm down because this issue triggers anxiety. So I calm down, I very the work and take a nap or I listen to a podcast or music for a reasonable time because anxiety can make you do stupid things trust me.  On the advising part. You should recognized that this feelings happens to everybody, No one is exempted. Secondly, you should know that what every skill you have be it writing or public speaking or dancing or whatever might be of interest to you don’t give up ever it you feel that way just remember:

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And even if you make a mistake, you’re not the only one that has mistaken before many people have millions of years before you made that mistake.  And remember Albert Einstein once said that “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”.  And also you are worth more than you think.

(This article has been sent by a brilliant writer, Anita Onyemgba)


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