c/self-esteem·Posted by u/maya_patel·1h ago

Does anyone else feel like a fraud three weeks after a promotion they actually earned?

They announced my new title on a Monday. By Wednesday I was googling the job description again like maybe they'd pasted the wrong name. I know the work. I did the work for eight months before they made it official. Still, in the first lead meeting I kept waiting for someone to ask why I was there. I over-prepared a ten-minute update like it was a thesis defense. Afterward a teammate said I sounded "solid" and I almost asked if they were being nice. I haven't told anyone I feel like this because it sounds ungrateful. I wanted the promotion. I also keep a running list of people who could have gotten it instead. How long did it take before the new title stopped feeling like a costume?

Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.