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Comparing your accomplishments, appearance, and belongings to those of others is an age-old problem, but social media makes it easier than ever before. On a Friday night, you’ll see tagged photos on Facebook, filtered images on Instagram and getting ready videos on Snapchat, all before the events you are missing out on even begin! It’s hard to be comfortable with yourself when you are so surrounded by what’s going on with everyone else. Is comparison standing in the way of your happiness?

Social Media Makes It Easier Than Ever to Compare

Social media gives you access to all of your friends and family in addition to their friends and family, strangers you’ve never met and previously out-of-reach celebrities. As a result, it’s easier than ever before to compare yourself and your lifestyle to others. Even when you realize comparing your LinkedIn profile to a top CEO’s is a fruitless and silly endeavor, that doesn’t change the sinking in your gut when you’re knee-deep in their amazing accomplishments.

We All Display the Best and Hide the Worst

People love to display the best parts of their lives on social media, like beach vacations and work promotions, and hide the worst, like the pile of dishes in their sink or their negative performance review. As a result, it’s hard to retain a sense of reality. Keep in mind that what you are seeing isn’t the whole picture. Instead, it’s just the sunny façade that everyone projects to the world. Surrounding yourself with only altered pictures of those you love will lead to negative thoughts and blows to your self-esteem.

Get Back in Touch with Reality 

It’s hard to stay grounded in reality when we all spend so much time on social media every day, but it isn’t impossible.

  • Install an app like Moment that tracks how long you are spending on social media every day. You might be surprised to see that your five-minute checks add up to over an hour spent ogling the lives of others over the course of the day.
  • Spend more time in your own skin during the day by engaging in self-care practices, working on a hobby or even going to the gym. Time spent with yourself will help boost your confidence and cut down on your need to compare.
  • Think about why you are having negative comparisons and come up with action steps to fix them. Are you judgmental towards romantic relationships on social media? It might be because you are neglecting your own or feeling lonely. Judging the green juice your co-worker always adds to her Snapchat story? Focus on your personal health and wellness.

Get in Touch

Ready to cut down on your need to compare? Contact CBT Baltimore to get on the right track at 443-470-9815.