Imposter Syndrome

Do you ever feel like you’re fooling everyone? Like any minute now, people are going to figure out that you don’t actually belong where you are — at work, in university, in your relationship, even in neurodivergent spaces?

That nagging voice that whispers “you’re a fraud” or “you just got lucky” or “if they really knew you, they wouldn’t want you here”? That’s imposter syndrome, and if you’re neurodivergent, you’re definitely not alone in feeling this way.

Imposter syndrome is when your brain convinces you that your achievements aren’t real or deserved. Even when you have evidence of your success — good feedback, qualifications, people seeking your advice — that voice keeps insisting it’s all a mistake.

You might recognise these thoughts:

• “I just got lucky with that project”
• “They’re giving me way too much credit”
• “Once they see how I really work, they’ll realise I’m not cut out for this”
• “Everyone else seems to have it figured out — I’m just winging it”

For neurodivergent people, imposter syndrome can hit particularly hard. Maybe you spent years masking your differences, so success feels like it belongs to your “performance” rather than your real self. Maybe you grew up feeling different without understanding why, internalising the message that something was wrong with you.

Or perhaps you received a diagnosis later in life and now question everything: “If I’m really autistic/ADHD, how did I manage all this time? Maybe I’m not actually neurodivergent at all.”

Here’s what you need to know: imposter syndrome often thrives in environments where you’ve had to work twice as hard to be seen, heard, or accepted. It’s not a character flaw — it’s often evidence that you’ve been navigating systems that weren’t built with you in mind.

Your achievements are real. Your struggles are real. Your right to be here is real. That voice that says otherwise? It’s worth questioning, not accepting as truth.