Coping with Imposter Syndrome During a Pandemic – Part 2: The Workaholic

This weekend, I put gas in my car.

That’s not usually a big deal. My drive to and from work is 50 miles each way, so I can burn through a lot of fuel.

But I’ve been working from home while quarantined. I hadn’t pumped gas into my vehicle since mid-March. (And my tank wasn’t even close to empty.)

But while many of us are saving money on gasoline, we may have lost something important.

Even though most of us complain about our commute to and from work, it turns out that’s valuable time. The commute gives us a ritual where we can change focus. We shift into work personas on the way in, and we have time to transition back to our “home selves” on the way back.

Many people deal with the blurred boundaries just fine. If you feel confident about yourself and your work, multi-tasking is hard – but not impossible.

But Imposter Syndrome can make this difficult for a lot of people. When Imposter feelings strike, you believe you’re not as capable, talented, or smart as other people. You look at your co-workers and wonder how you’ve been able to fool them into thinking you should be part of this team. 

For the Workaholic* Impostor, the key to success is doing more. “If I’m not as talented as everyone else, I’ll make it up by outworking them.” With this mindset, we’re already prone to saying “yes” to multiple projects and working insane hours.

Couple a tendency toward workaholism with the reality of high unemployment, and you have the perfect storm for Workaholic Imposter thoughts.

“I’ll answer emails and calls 24 hours a day. If I’m not accessible, they’ll go to someone else and realize I’m expendable.”

“If I say no to a request, they’ll figure out they’re better off without me.”

“If I volunteer for another project, I’ll have so much responsibility they can’t let me go.”

To overcome these, consider the following:

Recreate the commute ritual

Have a set time each day you begin and end work and take breaks. (This doesn’t mean working 8-5 – build in breaks when your family needs them and work when you’re most productive.) But whenever your work periods begin and end, take a pause. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and see yourself transitioning from one place to another. If you routinely listen to books or a podcast during your commute, recreate that experience for a bit. In other words, set boundaries between work and home time.

Use the 3:1 rule

When you find your brain traveling down the road to self-doubt, stop. Force yourself to list three reasons why your fear is invalid. Remind yourself of a past success, or list three of your strengths. Focus on what you do well. 

Accentuate the positive

As Tony Robbins says, “Where focus goes, energy flows.” So rather than worrying about everything that could go wrong, make a list of all the ways things could go according to plan. Then allow yourself to dream – what would happen if your performance far exceeded your expectations?

You’re smart. You’re a valued member of your work team. And to remain valuable, you’ve got to set boundaries and priorities to keep from being caught up in the workaholic tsunami.

*The Impostor Types come from the work of Dr. Valerie Young. Check out her FABULOUS book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Impostor Syndrome and How To Thrive In Spite of It for more details.