Title: Hey HN,<p>Here&#x27;s the thing: I&#x27;m incredibly lucky. I&#x27;m working in a field I absolutely love (the intersection of technology and medicine), with a brilliant and compassionate group of people who I respect greatly, in an environment flowing in autonomy, doing work I find unbelievably interesting and impactful. There is nothing I would rather be doing, and (for the most part) no group of people I&#x27;d rather be doing it with. As someone who sought such a situation for a long time, that&#x27;s not a statement I take lightly.<p>So what&#x27;s the problem? Anxiety. So much anxiety. An onslaught of worry and fear, (quite literally) every minute of every day, all self-imposed and mostly centered on a fear of embarrassment. Do I know enough? Am I doing enough? What if I don&#x27;t know the answer to that extremely basic question? How do I make sure that no one &quot;finds me out&quot;? Many imposter syndrome concerns: some of which are grounded in reality but none of which are helpful to me.<p>These thoughts fill up my mind in such a way that I don&#x27;t have many brain cycles left for learning new ideas, solving problems or remembering details. (I have OCD, and these thoughts become obsessions that don&#x27;t let up.) This creates a negative feedback loop: anxiety leads to decreased performance (in terms of learning&#x2F;solving&#x2F;remembering&#x2F;accomplishing), which leads to anxiety about my performance, which further decreases my performance. As a result, I find myself becoming the imposter I&#x27;m trying to conceal, and am often unhappy.<p>Why am I writing this post? I&#x27;m seeking understanding, support, and related stories&#x2F;situations. I&#x27;m not seeking a cure-all. I&#x27;m not seeking a pharmaceutical or therapeutic recommendation. Just support.<p>I&#x27;d love to hear from you all!
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