Feeling “compliment anxiety”

After singing your first solo in the church choir, you’re showered with praise from friends and family. You smile and thank them, but inside, the recognition makes you feel anxious. “You may be thinking, If they knew what I know about myself, they wouldn’t give me compliments,” observes psychotherapist Karol Ward, author of Find Your Inner Voice. “But imposter thoughts can distort our self-perception.”