Dr. Nicole Cain (integrative mental health clinician) explains how imposter syndrome is an anxiety-driven form of self-doubt that commonly affects high achievers. She gives three practical steps to manage it: (1) identify the imposter archetype through journaling and body-awareness, (2) speak up and label those thoughts as coming from the imposter part, and (3) use a mind–body somatic exercise called the "plot line pivot" (tapping + imagery) to shift physiological state. The video closes with a call-to-action to join a free "Anxiety Freedom One Week" challenge and download a workbook.
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Are you a high achieving, hard working person who constantly feels like a failure and a fraud? Do you feel like you're not all that talented or intelligent and that all of your achievements and successes are a fluke? If so, let me tell you about imposter syndrome and what to do about it. I'm going to share with you three powerful steps to eliminate imposter syndrome from your life and give you the tools to write a new story. I totally get you. When I was starting out as a new clinician, I constantly felt like an imposter. I. I worked my ass off and no matter how much positive feedback I received from my colleagues and patients, I was absolutely convinced I was mediocre at best. And it was a matter of time until someone was going to figure it out. And you know what? I was not alone. Some of the most powerful people on this planet have felt this way and have learned to overcome this feeling. Are you ready? Hi, I'm Dr. Nicole Cain, and as an expert in integrative mental health and a consultant, I have helped thousands of people get their lives back. And I can help you. I've worked with high achievers and talents from around the world and have developed powerful integrative strategies that literally change the way my clients think and feel. My passion is to spread the word. So now I'm sharing these life changing strategies with you. Let's talk about imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is anxiety masquerading as self doubt and intellectual fraud. Typically, imposter syndrome occurs in high achieving and highly successful people. For example, did you know that Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, Maya Angelou and Neil Armstrong have all struggled with imposter syndrome? From the outside, that seems completely bonkers, right? Who doesn't love Tom Hanks? But that's the thing. Imposter syndrome does not discriminate. If you breathe and if you have anxiety, then the only difference between someone who buckles underneath the tragedy of anxiety and someone who triumphs is what they do with their self doubt. Now let's get into the good stuff. Step one, identify the archetype of impostor syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a part of you, but it is not who you are. This part has its own sets of thoughts, feelings, characteristics, triggers and beliefs. The better you get to know this part, the more you will recognize when it's present in your life. Let me share with you an example from my life. I had the opportunity to go on an event and meet someone I really freaking admired. They were an expert in my field and I had been chomping at the bit to get into their brain and download as much information as possible. But the night before the event, my imposter part kept saying things like, you don't deserve to be there. Tomorrow, people are going to wonder how the heck you got an invitation. You're going to embarrass yourself. I felt tightness in my chest and my sleep was terrible. My impostor syndrome's favorite time to come out and harass me was when stuff really mattered. Annoying, right? How does your imposter syndrome like to come out? Start right now. I want you to make a list of times when you have felt like an imposter. Right now, get out a piece of paper and a pencil and make a note of where you were, who was present, what was happening, what your thoughts were, and where you felt it in your body. If you need to pause the video, do that. Step two is to speak up when your imposter joins the party. If we ignore it, it's just going to get louder and more obnoxious. Once you know who your imposter is, you can address that person. The more you address it, the less powerful it will be until eventually it'll stop showing up. When your confidence dips and those old familiar messages show up, address them immediately. Say to yourself, these thoughts are not mine. They are from the imposter syndrome part. This part is a symptom of anxiety. I am choosing to no longer listen to this part. I choose to live in the present and be open to opportunities. I accept. I don't know the future, but I can choose how to live in the now. The Mind Body link. This is where it gets tricky. The presence of an imposter literally changes the brain. And the brain lives in intimate relationship with your body. Remember how I said that my imposter came with tightness in the chest and insomnia? While I can tell my imposter off until the sun comes up, I have to clean up the residue of its presence in my life and in my body. The good news is that after years of research, I've developed a series of methods for effectively fine tuning the mind Body link. One of my favorites is a protocol called the plot line pivot. And I'm going to teach it to you. Now, place your hands gently on your thighs and tap slowly. Left, right, left, right. Start with your desired state. Imagine what it feels like to be calm, confident, relaxed, ready, empowered. Maybe even close your eyes and breathe in through your nose, breathe out through your mouth. Keep breathing and notice that state in The Act Anxiety Program, you'll experience a transformative exercise called Somatographic Imagery which teaches you in detail exactly how to do this. But for now, just tap slowly left, right, left, right and notice. Next, bounce that mental storyline back to the anxious state and pull up those feelings, the feelings that come up with Imposter archetype. Pull it up and embody and just notice how for a few moments, how it feels. Continue tapping and breathing and gently shift back to your desired state. When you feel ready, take a nice cleansing breath and open your eyes. When you make this shift, the plot line shifts. You're taking control of your story. Now you're the director and star of your life story and you get to decide what state makes it into your story and what gets left on the editing room floor. Now you have the power to change your life. And when you're ready to have a fully functional toolkit for kicking that imposter to the curb for good. Babe, I'm your gal. I have a little gift for you. It's called the Anxiety Freedom One Week challenge. And if you resonated with our time together, come play with me for a week. Get a jump on conquering anxiety and self doubt, Babes. You're amazing. You're unique, you have value and oh my gosh, I believe in you so much. You can grab the free workbook and start the challenge by going to my website where you can download it for free. You'll also find the link in the description below. And don't think for one minute that I'm going to let you take that wild ride alone. No way. I'll be there with you every day with tips and tricks to rock this challenge like only you can. Together, we've got this. Grab the free workbook by clicking on the link in the description below and let's get started.
