Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1441323
52 ASCP Skin Deep Winter 2022 THE IMPOSTOR CYCLE Impostor syndrome can manifest and repeat in a predictable pattern, called the impostor cycle. The cycle begins with a specific task or project. Imagine you need to prepare a 10-minute presentation about your skin care business for a new networking group. The first stage is characterized by anxiety and self- doubt. Maybe you think about how embarrassed you'll be if it doesn't go well. You imagine you'll never get a referral from anyone who saw you flop. It's going to be a nightmare. At this point, the cycle can take either or both of two tracks: overpreparation or procrastination. You may overprepare because you stress about every detail or potential misstep. You overthink what you should say, what kind of media to use in the presentation, or how much research to incorporate. You worry it will be boring, so you add some humor, then take it out because you worry you'll look unprofessional. In short, you put a whole bunch of effort into proving you are worthy of being an esthetician. Or maybe you're a procrastinator. You feel paralyzed by all the ideas and by the fear of getting it wrong, so you put off working on the presentation until the last minute. But you get it done in a whirl of adrenaline and coffee. Once the presentation is complete, you feel an initial sense of relief and accomplishment because it's over. You did it! You get a good response. Yay! But here's where it gets tricky again. In cases of overpreparation, you may attribute that positive feedback to the depth of effort you put into the project. You may feel like you have to work much harder than others because you're terrible at presentations and talking about skin care. It's so hard for you. In cases of procrastination, you attribute that positive response to luck, pure and simple. You did well because you got lucky with the right audience on the right morning. At this point, you ignore or resist any positive feedback and fall into the final stage of the impostor cycle: feeling anxious, maybe depressed, and like a fraud who may get found out. This cycle repeats and may lead to you turning down new experiences. As a skin care professional, impostor syndrome could lead you to: • Turn down an invitation to talk to a group of senior women about caring for aging skin because you feel unqualified, even though you have advanced training and several years of experience working with older women • Not speak up about how proper skin care can help when an acquaintance mentions their teenager's acne • Feel uncomfortable accepting money for your services or resistant to increasing your rates Impostor syndrome is the feeling that you don't belong or haven't earned your place, that you're not smart or experienced enough. Impostor syndrome often includes the fear you will be "found out" and uncovered as a fraud.