How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
How to stop comparing yourself to others on the internet or your friends? This is the one thing that really triggers me into a spiral sometimes. We scroll endlessly through social media and at first it’s interesting, it’s lots of information in really entertaining videos and images, and then later the nasty thoughts pop in—Why am I not as pretty as she is? Why am I not as successful as that person? etc. And then boom, not long later, you’re sitting there comparing yourself to every other person out there and beating yourself up for NOT being them.
Here is what I do to get out of that space—
Step 1: Turn Comparison into Appreciation 🌷 We are surrounded by beauty and good things. Sometimes that can be overwhelming; we take it personally and feel like we’re not good enough. Take this chance to transform that negative perspective into being thankful that we are surrounded by good things and that this world is beautiful. Just like how we look at a field of flowers—we don’t nitpick at each one and compare them, we focus on how beautiful the field is and how there is an abundance of beauty.
Step 2: Bring the Focus Back to You—Celebrate You ✨ It’s important to always celebrate yourself. You have to live your own life. Take this chance to list good traits about yourself and re-fall in love with yourself! You’re unique and there is truly no one like you. I have a journalling exercise at the end of the post. Try that!
Step 3: Believe that the Universe is Abundant and be Ready for Your Turn 💫 The universe is abundant. If you believe in that, you’ll be open to the fact that what you are able to appreciate in others and what can happen to you as well. Turn the comparison into inspiration! You just might be next! Get excited for that.
To aid these thought process you can try this journalling prompt:
✏️Write about yourself in 3rd person; start with “I Love (your name) because…” Try to see yourself in the way you see another person with love and kindness. Take note of how you hesitate or feel awkward, and keep going. The more you can love yourself, the less you’ll want to compare yourself with the rest of the world.
I use affirmations every day to end off my journalling entry to help recalibrate my thoughts with nice positive sentences. Here are some that I think are suitable for today:
☁️ I approve of myself
☁️ I am unique
☁️ I am worthy
☁️ I’m thankful for the inspiration around me
☁️ I too can create magic and miracles
☁️ I see the possibilities for me through the experiences of others
☁️ I see the beauty and magic all around me
☁️ I love me and who I am unconditionally
☁️ I am excited to see things unfold for me
This is what I do to get myself out of the negative headspace of comparison, I hope it helps you too.
With love,
Chara
This was originally posted on Lemon8.