Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

I have this pretty extreme delusion that I’m just a big fraud and I could stop at any moment. It makes me feel like all I’m doing is trying to get attention from people. What helps me to remember that this is out of my control, is that I would totally stop if I could. I have left bruises and scratches on myself, dislocated things, and broken items in my house. I yell and cuss in public. Why would I ever want attention like that? Why would I ever want to put myself and my loved one through this battle willingly? Truth is, if you could just turn it off anytime you wanted, you would. TS is draining, and no one is purposely going to make themselves feel so crappy all the time

whenever I have a tic attack, it definitely solidifies that I'm not faking. the complete lack of control over what I'm doing and how desperate I am for it to stop makes it really clear that this is real

i just think about all of my self injurious tics, things i would never ever do on purpose like punching a concrete wall, why would I fake it like that and cause myself so much pain?

I’m so glad I’m not the only one that feels this way! Especially with urge tics & situational tics

i wish i could stop my tics because i feel so weird when i do them. and i fear they make my family and friends uncomfortable

I tend to think I'm faking my tic disorder and that I'm doing it for attention. to help with this, I go to Compilation Channel on YouTube and watch their faking disorder videos. it makes me realize that there are people obviously faking this disorder and that I'm not doing it for attention.

*sorry, I switched between “you” and “they” a fair amount of times, and I realize now that it doesn’t make sense haha

I definitely get people who tell me I’m faking my tics, and in response, I get really insecure. However, I try to remember that every person has a different experience with Tourette’s, and no matter if someone can suppress or delay your tics completely, or not at all, they still have them. A lot of other people don’t experience something like that (not to invalidate whatever they are going through). The person who experiences those urges knows best what they are feeling, and no one else can dictate how you are feeling. Even doctors cannot read your mind. They can only see what is happening and try their best to put a name on it and help explain it, but even doctors can be wrong. My point is, you are the one who knows yourself best, and a petty comment like “that looks fake,” should be recognized by everyone that it is a mere weak assumption based on very little, if not, absolutely no knowledge on what the person is actually experiencing. I hope this helps!

I always worry that I'm faking my tics because I tend to have an easier time suppressing them sometimes.

If you tic when you're alone there's a high chance you're not faking it. That's how I cope with it