7 fantastic ways to overcome social comparison

Overview

Have you been in a situation where you went on social media and viewed a couple of posts by your friends or maybe even people you've never even met and just felt depressed, beat yourself up and questioned your life choices? 

You're not alone in this struggle, in fact, billions of people feel this way too, it's a condition known as Social comparison.

Social comparison is a mental state that would drain all the happiness in a person and leave them to be depressed and if not dealt with, could lead to suicide. It's a problem that needs a swift address because we've been subjects to its danger since we were toddlers wanting the same toys as our friends had. We grew up and we wanted the same clothes our peers had and as we grew older, the needs grew bigger and bigger to the point where we now want the same kind of life we see on our social media feed from celebrities and several well to do people. Although, it is a positive thing to want to be a better version of yourself and to desire to be bigger than you currently are it becomes a negative when you pressure yourself because you see other people doing well and then you overwhelm yourself with the comparison.

Your way out

#1. Be self-aware: The first step to fulfilment and true happiness is self-awareness. Understand who you are and what your interests are. Self-awareness comes with having high self-esteem and high self-worth (not pride, it can be easily confusing). You are an amazing work of art put on this earth to be unique and that such awesomeness only comes in one package and that is YOU!

#2: Avoid triggers: Stay off social media if you must for as long as you think is necessary. Avoid anything and anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. Your mental state is your most valuable possession.

#3: Celebrate small wins: Acknowledge and celebrate the little things in your life. Little drops of water make an ocean over time so everything you accomplish is worth the hype. With time, you'll become happier with yourself.

#4: Find a support circle: It can be just one person you trust. Someone you share your goals with and can discuss all your ideas with. This would help your self-confidence and overall happiness.

#5: Understand times: There is a time for everything in life. There's a time to plant and there's a time to harvest. The big names we have today were once unknown. There are highs and lows in life and your low season is only temporary.

#6: Find a role model: Having someone whom you look up to that does what you want to do in life is of great benefit. They would serve as a constant source of inspiration to you. The rationale behind this is that you want to be like them but you're not in competition with them so rather than their successes being a stumbling block to your happiness, it serves as a healthy inspiration to you, a drive to push you to your goal in life.

#7: Contribute value: Helping those around you in any way you can help you feel positive about yourself. It might offer your service to old people around you or help kids with their needs, anything you can do to add value to someone's life. It gives you a sense of self-worth and helps you over time to value the number of smilies you put on people's faces rather than the material things you have.

Conclusion

Stop comparing. Stop thinking of yourself as less based on someone else’s life or accomplishments. You need to find what makes you happy in life and decide what you want, not where you should have gotten to or think you should have become based on someone else's life.