Navigating Imposter Syndrome & Staying Confident

Image Credits: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/feeling-like-fraud-imposter-syndrome-common-among-high

Written by Julia Busemeyer

Have you ever felt out of place in astronomy? Whether it was a class, a project, a research position, or something else-- have you ever felt like everyone else in the room knew what they were doing but you were a fraud? This isn’t me calling you out,  I’ve been there too. In fact, many astronomy students and professionals struggle with imposter syndrome. It’s not an easy thing to deal with! Not only can it make you doubt yourself and your abilities, but sometimes it makes it difficult to remember why you do what you do and why you started astronomy in the first place. This guide is your one-stop-shop to understanding and navigating your imposter syndrome to make sure you have the happiest astronomy experience possible! We’ll start by talking about what imposter syndrome actually is, its effects, and why it can be so detrimental. It’s important to understand what you’re dealing with! Then I’ll give you some tips and tricks I’ve learned to fight that feeling and remind myself of my capabilities despite the self-doubt. If I can fight it, so can you!

What is imposter syndrome?

According to Stanford University, imposter syndrome is “the internal experience of doubting your abilities” that causes questions such as “do I belong here?”, and “I’m not as smart or as qualified as everyone else here-- when will they notice?” I’ve found that imposter syndrome is especially prominent in STEM fields, including physics and astronomy due to their rigor and strangely competitive nature. It can present itself in a number of ways. The University of Michigan says that some of the common behaviors of those who struggle with imposter syndrome include working too hard to “make up for perceived inadequacy,” skipping out on great opportunities because of fear of failure, procrastinating work out of the fear it won’t be good enough, and never asking for help because it means other people would find out they aren’t perfect. Of course, there are many other ways imposter syndrome may present itself, but these are some of the most common experiences. So, now we know what imposter syndrome is. But, how does it actually affect us in the long run?

How does imposter syndrome affect us?

Aside from the more obvious self doubt and lack of confidence, imposter syndrome can actually have damaging long-term effects. Imposter syndrome comes with a lot of self-monitoring, or constantly over-analyzing one’s behaviors and habits. Quick side bar-- in my experience, this can really mess with your perception of hard work! When I first started college, I’d study for an exam for three hours in a day and be blown away by how hard I worked. Now, as a junior who has spent the last five semesters over-analyzing and obsessing over school, I’ve spent 12 hours straight studying for exams and I still feel like I should have worked harder. Now, this is absolutely ridiculous. Nobody should ever spend 12 hours straight studying. It ends up being less productive than you’d think, and it can be incredibly damaging (check out my guide on mental health for more details!). The point of this story is that after struggling with imposter syndrome for so long, my perception of productivity and hard work is SO skewed because I never feel like I’m doing enough, even when I’m doing too much. Don’t let that happen to you! And please, don’t read this and feel like you have to go study for 12 hours straight… It's truly awful and does more harm than good. 

Aside from this, imposter syndrome can have some serious mental and physical effects. The NIH says that untreated imposter syndrome can lead to anxiety, depression, decreased job satisfaction, and burnout. Anxiety and depression speak for themselves. They can cause serious damage to your physical health, and they suck the joy from what should be joyful experiences. This can be particularly painful as an astronomer. In my experience, all astronomers are absolutely crazy about what we do. I have never seen a more passionate and driven community in my life. But when you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, you may find yourself dreading doing the work you once loved because you’re so anxious about not belonging or not being smart enough. This phenomenon is absolutely heartbreaking! The same thing happens when you’re dealing with burnout. When you spend all your time obsessing over your performance, your work stops being about the work. Your education stops being about the education, It becomes all about the anxiety and self-doubt. And that, let me tell you, is exhausting. In that way, imposter syndrome is completely enveloping, and it can wear you out quickly. Then, the thing that once made you happy becomes the thing that exhausts you. Nobody deserves to have that happen to them. So, let’s talk about how we can prevent that and fight imposter syndrome. 

Tips & Tricks for fighting imposter syndrome 

Now, one of the best ways to navigate your imposter syndrome is by prioritizing your mental health. I talk about this and provide some tips in my mental health guide, linked here. But there are a lot of other things you can do to specifically target your imposter syndrome. You may find that some of these tricks work for you and others don’t, maybe they’ll all work, or maybe none will! Everyone is different, and that’s okay. It’s important to do your research and find things that work for you! Don’t be afraid of trial and error. These are some of the things that have helped me, and I hope they’ll help you too. 

1. Find a mentor who understands what you’re going through

   1. This can be a professor, a professional in the field, an upperclassman, or someone else. It is important that this person is in the same field as you, because imposter syndrome can look slightly different in different fields. For me, these people are two of my astronomy professors. They’ve both been through everything I’m going through, so I can go to them and say “I’m really struggling right now, it’s been really hard to stay confident,” and they’ll say something like “I understand, but you’re really doing great and you’ll get through this.” Even hearing something simple like that from someone who knows what they're doing can be incredibly reassuring. So, the next time you’re struggling with imposter syndrome, go to someone who has been through the astronomy-wringer and say “hey, I’m having trouble trusting my abilities and staying confident, do you have any advice?” I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to help you out. 

2. Make an achievement journal!

   1. This is one of my favorites. Get yourself a journal and use it to keep track of everything you’ve done that you’re proud of. Got an A on an exam? Write it down. Presented research at a conference? Write it down. Got a compliment on a project from a classmate? Write it down. Out at the telescope and you remember why you love astronomy? You guessed it, write it down. Every time you feel proud of something you do, and every time you feel the passion and joy that brought you to astronomy, write it down! Then, when you’re feeling less confident and are worried that you aren’t cut out for astronomy or aren’t smart enough, you’ll have physical proof that you are. Everyone fails sometimes. Everyone has moments of weakness. That’s okay! You just have to be able to remind yourself of how strong, capable, and smart you are. An achievement journal is a great way to do this when the imposter syndrome is hitting hard. 

3. Open up to your peers

   1. This is probably the hardest one, but it can be the most effective (in my experience). A lot of imposter syndrome, especially in college, can come from feeling like all your classmates are way smarter than you. I had that feeling this last semester in my electrodynamics class. I never saw any of my classmates struggle, but I found the work very challenging. It made me feel like I wasn’t cut out for physics. One night, I was working on a homework assignment with two of my friends in the class and one of them said “Dude, I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing, I wouldn’t even know where to start without you guys,” and this totally changed my perspective. To this person, I was one of the classmates they thought was way smarter than them. They felt the exact same way I did. So I said, “no, I think you’re crazy smart, but I get it, I feel the same exact way,” at which point, the third person chimed in with, “you guys both understand it far better than me,” and the three of us broke into a cacophony of how smart we thought the other two were. Afterwards, we all felt so much better because we had all realized that we weren’t alone! Other students were struggling with the material and with imposter syndrome too. Sharing our feelings with each other made us feel more comfortable asking questions, trying new solutions, and putting our all into the homework. We didn’t end up getting that problem correct, but we agreed that we learned so much from working together that it didn’t even matter, and we all felt more confident and more capable. It wasn’t a failure at all, but a HUGE success. It was hard to open up, but once one person did, we all could, and we ended up being able to support each other and focus on learning rather than getting the problem right. 

Now, these are just three tips. There are so many other ways to navigate your imposter syndrome and stay confident, and it’s up to you to find what works for you! But the most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. Astronomers all over the world struggle with imposter syndrome, and it doesn’t make them any less qualified or any less intelligent. You are incredibly smart, you are ridiculously capable, and I believe in you! The field of astronomy is better because you are in it. You belong here.