Why Imposter Syndrome Shows Up When You’re Actually Doing Something Right

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”-Carl Jung

I’ve been having the same conversation in different forms recently, sometimes with actors, sometimes with women, sometimes with entrepreneurs, and sometimes quietly with myself, and it usually lands in the same place, that strange, uncomfortable moment where you know you’re growing, you know you’re stepping into something more visible or more meaningful, yet there’s a part of you that feels oddly unsteady, like the internal version of you hasn’t quite caught up with the life you’re actually living.

It doesn’t usually come dressed as full-blown panic or insecurity. It’s more subtle than that. A hesitation before speaking. A second-guessing of your own authority. A sense that other people seem more certain, more settled, more legitimate, even when there’s no real evidence to support that thought. This is usually the moment people start quietly Googling how to get rid of imposter syndrome, not because they want to be arrogant or fearless, but because they want the discomfort to stop.

What I’ve learned over the years is that imposter syndrome is wildly misunderstood. It’s framed as a confidence issue, a mindset problem, or a personal flaw, when in reality it’s often a very normal response to expansion. It tends to show up when you’re no longer hiding, no longer playing small, no longer operating inside an identity that feels familiar and contained. It appears when you’ve outgrown an old self-image but haven’t fully settled into the new one yet.

I’ve felt this at different points in my own life, particularly when things externally were moving forward and internally I was still integrating who I was becoming. From the outside, it probably looked like certainty. From the inside, there was sometimes a sense of disorientation, not because I wasn’t capable, but because my nervous system hadn’t fully recalibrated to the new level of responsibility, visibility, or expectation.

This is the piece people rarely talk about honestly. Your nervous system is wired for familiarity, not truth. It wants to know what’s predictable. When your life expands faster than your internal identity updates, the system interprets that gap as risk, and risk often gets translated into doubt. That doubt then gets mislabelled as imposter syndrome, and suddenly you’re trying to work out how to get rid of imposter syndrome, when nothing is actually wrong with you.

The problem starts when you take that feeling and make it mean something about your worth, your competence, or your right to be where you are. That’s when it becomes sticky. That’s when it turns into overworking, over-preparing, over-explaining, or quietly shrinking yourself to feel safe again. None of that is growth. It’s self-protection masquerading as humility.

What actually shifts imposter syndrome is not forcing confidence or trying to silence the voice, but understanding what’s happening underneath and responding in a grounded, adult way. So instead of treating it like an enemy to defeat, you start learning how to get rid of imposter syndrome by integrating it, not fighting it.

Here are five strategic ways to do that, without turning it into another self-improvement project or something you need to perfect.

1. Name what’s happening without dramatizing it

The moment you can say, this is imposter syndrome, not truth, something settles. You stop spiralling and start orienting. Naming it activates the rational part of the brain and brings you back into the body, which is one of the most effective ways to get rid of imposter syndrome in the moment because it separates sensation from story.

2. Regulate the body before interrogating the mind

Imposter syndrome lives in the nervous system first and the thoughts come second. Tight chest, shallow breath, restlessness, that slightly buzzy feeling of being on edge. Slow the body down before you try to think your way out of it. A regulated body creates a clearer mind, and this is a foundational part of learning how to get rid of imposter syndrome sustainably.

3. Ground yourself in real evidence, not reassurance

Your nervous system doesn’t need affirmations, it needs proof. Look at the work you’ve done, the rooms you’ve been invited into, the trust people place in you, the results you’ve created. This isn’t about ego, it’s about orientation. Evidence anchors you back into reality and stops imposter syndrome from running unchecked.

4. Notice where you’re trying to earn your place

Over-preparation and over-explaining are often signs that imposter syndrome is driving the behaviour. Excellence feels calm and intentional. Over-performing feels frantic and charged. Learning to spot this difference is one of the most practical ways to get rid of imposter syndrome because it stops you reinforcing the pattern.

5. Update your internal identity to match your external life

This is the deeper work. If your inner dialogue is still speaking to a past version of you, imposter syndrome will keep knocking. Speak to yourself as the woman, leader, or creative you are now, not the one you’ve already outgrown. Identity lag is at the core of imposter syndrome, and closing that gap is how to get rid of imposter syndrome long term.

Here’s the truth I wish more people understood. Imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you’re pretending. It doesn’t mean you’re underqualified. It doesn’t mean you’re about to be exposed. Very often, it simply means you’re standing in a new level of responsibility and your system is catching up.

The people most affected by imposter syndrome are rarely the ones faking it. They’re usually the ones who care, who are conscientious, who feel the weight of what they’re holding, and who are deeply invested in doing things with integrity. That matters.

So if you’re finding yourself searching how to get rid of imposter syndrome right now, pause before you turn it into a problem to fix. Ask instead whether you’re in the middle of an identity upgrade. Whether you’re being asked to stand more fully in who you already are, without apologising or shrinking to feel safe.

You’re not an imposter in the room.

You’re just becoming familiar with your own authority.

And that, for most people, takes longer than they expect.

With Love

Jenna 💜