Beating Imposter Syndrome whilst sleeping

Yes sleeping, or running, or drinking

This week in Thriving Leader Shorts we’re looking at positive habits you can develop to help you offset the risk of Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome can feel real enough.  It’s not entirely invisible.  The effects of Imposter Syndrome – holding back, throwing in an early apology, talking yourself down and putting the needs of others before your own can be seen by others.

Your worth, self-esteem and self-value in relation to others all suffer at the hands of Imposter Syndrome.

But the good news is we can all retrain our brain to think differently, to think of ourselves differently and then create different outcomes.

But as we begin the journey we need our brain to be in tip-top condition.

Imposter Syndrome can be beaten by a healthy body

Hang on a sec.  If imposter syndrome sits in our brain, what’s a healthy body got to do with things.   

Well our brains don’t float independent of our bodies, they are part of us.   And our mental well being is connected to our physical wellbeing.

Beating imposter syndrome takes consistent effort and a lot of brain stamina.   Things we neglect in our physical health impacts brain strength.  

For the challenge this week here are three very simple habits to try out each day and see if you can make them last.

Imposter syndrome can be beaten by water

75% of your brain is made up of water.  Your brain is incredibly sensitive to dehydration.   Just 2% dehydration can be detected as reducing brain power.   I keep a water bottle on my desk.  I don’t fill it as much as I really should. 

If like me you need a bit of discipline and measurement there are cute bottles you can see by the hour or by lunchtime whether you’ve consumed enough water.

Did you know though that even if you’re super at hydrating during the day, the big time when you’re dehydrating is overnight? 

Seven hours with no water means your brain is dehydrated in the morning.  If you’ve been out partying, drinking alcohol, the effects of dehydration will kick in all the sooner.

Our temptation is to reach for coffee first thing in the morning.  But caffeine makes this worse – it doesn’t help with hydration plus it jolts the dehydrated body and empty stomach with too much caffeine in one hit.

Habit #1 is to drink water in the morning before anything else.  A little lemon, maybe a pinch of sea-salt and this will help to rehydrate as well as dampen the effects of that coffee you’re going to have anyway.

Imposter syndrome can be beaten by running, brisk walking and other physical activity

Wait for it – running can help your brain perform better?   When we start physical exercise our bodies go through a transition as our heart pumps oxygenated blood faster around the body including our brains. 

And emerging research [1] according to Dr David Linden of John Hopkins University School of Medicine – shows that the brain can experience neurogenesis through exercise, creating new brain cells and arresting cognitive decline.

Of course one of the downsides of Imposter Syndrome is that driving urge to work harder to prove your worth to others.  And that can lead to skipping lunch breaks to show hard dedicated and tough we are.

But the science is on your side – that exercise break is a strategic recharge just as you’d fuel up your car before a long drive.   And unlike throwing down a quick coffee to keep you going, you’ll go into your afternoon with superior emotional control which is really important to keep your Imposter Syndrome in check.

You can beat Imposter Syndrome in your sleep

Yes you can.  Again your Imposter Syndrome’s tendency to encourage you to pull the all nighter, to promise yourself you’ll catch up at the weekend is all to your detriment.

Sleep is nature’s detox and recharge and when we don’t get enough of it or we drift into irregular patterns of sleep it can lead to the start of some serious health conditions such as cardio-vascular disease.

Sending emails at 11 at night isn’t the sign of bravado it’s a sign something is amiss.   In the week ahead challenge yourself to practice good sleep hygiene and discipline.  This means training your body to a set rhythm that it understands and learns.  

Try to keep the same routine at weekends – your body doesn’t really know or care it’s Saturday, it just disrupts the pattern and kids you into the false belief that lying in can make up for missing sleep during the week.

Imposter Syndrome isn’t all about the brain

Allow Imposter Syndrome to beat you and you’ll feel it in your head and your body.  But to beat Imposter Syndrome, truly beat it, you need that brain to be in tip top condition – and these three simple things to try during the week should help.

Summing up:

-        Hydrate, especially first thing in the morning

-        Exercise, especially during the day

-        Rest, train your body into observing a consistent sleep routine

Let me know how you get on!

Love this and want to develop faster and further?

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Do you want to be part of the 80% that don’t? 

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[1] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running#:~:text=Long%2Dterm%20Mental%20Benefits%20of%20Exercise&text=Exercise%20may%20also%20produce%20new,antidepressive%20effect%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20Linden.