Recently I've heard a lot of people talk about struggling with comparing themselves to others. Comparing ourselves does all sorts of bad things.
It makes us feel like we:
• should be doing more/have accomplished more
• should do things we may not want to (because "everyone else is doing it")
• shouldn't do things we may want to (because "no one else is doing it")
Social media makes avoiding comparisons more challenging than ever. I know people who have shut down their social media accounts because of this.
Here are a few tips to keep you from comparing yourself to others:
1) Keep in mind that when you're looking at someone else's life you're not seeing their whole story- just like your news feed doesn't tell yours. It's only their highlight reel.
2) Get really clear on your goals for your life (how you want to relate to people, what you want to experience & accomplish) and focus on achieving them-in a way that works for YOU.
3) Own those goals. If you really want something, go for it. Just because other people are satisfied with something, doesn't mean you have to be.
And, don't let peer pressure make you do something you don't want to do.
It's okay to be different. YOU have to live with the results of your actions.
4) Practice gratitude every day. Focusing on the good things in your life (& keeping in mind that you likely have it better than most people on the planet) makes it harder to feel bad about your situation.