In summary, Anniken Bævre has long been afraid of being exposed for not being as good as people think she is. This affected her for many years, and prevented her from applying to her dream university. Research suggests that over 70 percent of us have such thoughts during our lives. A psychologist believes it is important to talk about the impostor syndrome in order to normalize it. Some advice for working with this is to recognize your own achievements, not compare yourself to others and share your thoughts with someone you trust. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. For many years, Anniken Bævre (23) has struggled with low self-esteem. Never felt good enough. If she has achieved something good, she has usually blamed everything else and not taken credit for it herself. She thought the same when she was selected as a participant in the “Baking Championship”. “Have you chosen wrongly? Is it luck?” “Did they take me because I’m young?” “When will they find out that I’m not that good?” THE BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP: Anniken doubted her own baking skills for a long time. Now she has reached the halfway point in the competition. Photo: Per Olav Sølvberg / news In retrospect, she has found out that most of it is in her head. The feeling of being an impostor Anniken has impostor syndrome. Or perhaps better known as imposter syndrome. It is not actually a syndrome, but a description of a feeling. Fear of being exposed for not being as good as people think you are. Despite the fact that there is often little evidence that this is true. People who struggle with this are often skilled and good at what they do, and receive positive feedback from others. They often fail to take charge and accept their own success, and may blame luck rather than ability. SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP Artist and songwriter Billie EilishThe world-renowned singer has felt impostor syndrome throughout her career, she told the music magazine NME in 2022. “Why did they choose me?” has she thought several times when she has been the main artist at festivals. Stand-up comedian Jonis Josef Early in his career, the comedian received comments that he was lucky to be able to play on his own skin colour, he told news in 2022. – I felt that everything I was able to do as a comedian happened because I was dark-skinned, and I thought like this: “Do people think I’m lucky because I’m black?” Minister of Justice and Emergency Emilie Enger MehlHo was elected as a 24-year-old, and felt like the “impostor” on The Storting, she told news in 2020. Even though it might look like she had steely control on the outside, she could feel an uneasiness in her body and doubts about her own abilities. – I thought, “Can I handle this?”. Journalist and author Ingeborg Senneset In 2019, she wrote a personal article in A magazine about the constant lump in her stomach. The feeling of waiting to be exposed. – I often feel stupid and always worse than everyone else. I am waiting for the world to see the same, to discover that I am not who they think I am, she wrote. Many people have impostor syndrome Research suggests that over 70 percent of us have such thoughts during our lives. Have you experienced impostor syndrome? Yes, often Knows it sometimes No, never Show results – I think it’s important that we normalize this by talking about it. Gro Mjeldheim Sandal says so. She is a psychologist and professor at the Department of Social Psychology at the University of Bergen. Many people try to hide the fact that they are afraid of being exposed by working hard, overachieving and preparing unnecessarily. OPENNESS: It is important to normalize the impostor syndrome, believes Gro Mjeldheim Sandal. Photo: Private Something that can cause you to burn out, perform worse at work and get less joy in life. The psychologist, on the other hand, believes that it may be possible to steer one’s thoughts on the right track. Stop the dream Many people who know this to a certain extent manage to live with it just fine. The impostor syndrome only becomes a bigger problem when it prevents you from doing things, according to the professor. Anniken noticed this when she finished secondary school. NORMALIZE: Anniken hopes she can help others who feel the same by being open about it. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news Even though she knew what she wanted to study, she held herself back from applying to study. Anniken loves to photograph, film and edit. The dream has always been to work in this field, but she did not dare to apply because she was afraid she was not good enough. Instead, she took another year’s study and some part-time jobs. Compare yourself with graduates One of the jobs was in a clothes shop. To prove that she was good at her job, she could clean the shop for an hour after she had stamped out. She had to be sure that all the clothes hung perfectly and that all the trousers had folded edges before she left the store. JOY OF BAKING: Anniken loves to bake, and dreams of a job where she can combine her hobby with working in the media industry. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news Even when she worked in a bakery, she had far too high demands on herself. Anniken compared what she did with the educated bakers. Despite the fact that she has no education. It took a few years before she was able to realize that she is good enough. In the end, she also dared to apply for the course she is now on: PR, communication and media. STUDIO: The PR student has created her own photo studio at home, where she takes pictures and videos of her baking for social media. Photo: Privat She is glad she did. Although she still feels the feeling of being a fraud from time to time, she does it much less often than before. For her, it helped to find out that she has impostor syndrome, and to know that she is not alone in having these thoughts. And that is where the key lies, according to the psychologist. This is how you can get rid of the impostor syndrome Sandal believes it is important to talk out loud about what you know. Precisely because it is taboo. She believes that many people do not dare to admit that they feel like a fraud. – As long as this is taboo, you think that you are very special and that there is something wrong with me. FEELINGS: Anniken sometimes struggles to believe that she is good enough to be part of the “Baking Championship”. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news If you know that this is normal, it is easier to see that the thoughts are just nonsense, says the psychologist. Impostor syndrome is often associated with low self-esteem and poor self-image. That’s why she thinks it’s important to think through how you talk to yourself. You can also seek support from people who you know will give honest feedback. Here is some advice from NHI on how to work on getting rid of the impostor syndrome: Recognize your own achievements Remember that you have earned your place in the academic or professional environment. Focus on yourself Don’t compare yourself to others. BETTER: Although she still feels like a fraud sometimes, she does it much less often than before. Photo: Anna Sørmarken Vestly / news Share your thoughts with someone you trust It doesn’t have to be someone in the professional environment. Don’t aim for the perfect Remember that good enough is good enough. Take care of compliments Save emails and similar where you have received praise for your work. Look at this when you feel like a fraud. “YOU ARE RAW”: In the recording of the “Baking Championship”, Anniken had motivational notes with her from a friend. This time it was: “Go out and kick ass. You are raw”. Photo: news Understand that you are not a fraud It is important to understand that those who are actually frauds do not have fraud syndrome.
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Advice against imposter syndrome – this is how Anniken Bævre from the Baking Championship got help with imposter syndrome – news Vestland
