Counseling while grieving

Counseling while grieving

I have been wanting to write a post for some time regarding imposter syndrome, but my follow through on actually writing posts has been less than bueno. But personal win for me here in actually getting this written!

IMPOSTER SYNDROME

How many of y’all have dealt with this/ are dealing with this?

First: What is imposter syndrome?

“Imposter syndrome is a psychological term referring to a pattern of behavior where people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud” (APA, 2018)

I have been feeling it like crazyyyyy these past few months, thinking how is it that I am supposed to help people and guide people into their healing when I myself am driving the struggle bus? It feels like I am kinda like a fake at times and its something I sometimes struggle with doing the work I do. As a resident in counseling and a case manager I spend 8-10 hours of my day helping other people. It has definitely been tough for sure to shake these feelings when i’m dealing with so many of my own mental health struggles of grief and loss, not to mention all the anxiety surrounding the pandemic.

How do we Deal with it:

REMEMBER:

Heres the thing: You don’t have to just be one thing….

You can have both joy and sadness in your body/ they can exist simultaneously

You can be both confident and have insecurities: It’s not one or the other.

There are both strength and weaknesses inside of us: Its normal!

You can help others while dealing with your own battles:

You do not have to be an expert and you sure as hell don’t have to be perfect or have your shit together to be a support for others.

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.

What is important though is making sure you have a balance of not only helping others but taking care of yourself. “You can’t pour from an empty glass.” That is why self care and boundaries are important tools in making sure we are taking care of ourselves as (helpers) as much as we can.

Imposter syndrome is not specific to the counseling or helping professions and can show up in lots of areas of our lives.

It is important to look at and acknowledge these feeling when they come up?

Its important to recognize your expertise and know what you have to offer has worth!