How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

We humans, as social animals, have to keep in constant touch with other people in order to survive in this world. Socializing with people isn’t only necessary for survival but also makes our lives a lot happier. 

However, things go bad when you start comparing yourself with other people as you live together. The same thing happened to me when I started comparing myself with my brother (who’s just 2 years older than me). 

He always seems to be so cool and handles things on his own with grace. And, yes, he’s a bit taller than me as well. However, I got the opportunity to come around and deal with these feelings. In this article, I am going to guide you about how to stop comparing yourself with others based on my experience. Let’s start.

Why is it Important to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others?

Our world has become more connected than ever thanks to the Internet. You scroll social media and see people showing off their shiny lives on Instagram reels. You go to a cafe and see a person enjoying himself in the company of his friends. On the way back home, a guy with his elegant Ferrari passes by with a sudden Shoom!

It makes you wonder why you’re not like these people. What’s missing in your personality that would just make you similar to the cool friends and neighbors? 

These things start rooting negative things. Negative thinking transforms into misery and before you know it, you’ve started hating yourself. 

That’s precisely the reason why it is important not to compare yourself with others. It’s important so that one can be himself and be happy with his life all the time. 

How to Get Rid of Self-Comparison With Others?

I’ve discussed why it is important for people to be themselves and enjoy their lives as they are. But how exactly to do it? It’s not very difficult but you have to keep in mind and follow a few simple factors. I’ve discussed their details below.

1. Point Out the Triggers:

The first and foremost thing to do is point out the triggers. You first need to understand the factors that make you start comparing yourself. Triggers are basically the reasons why one person starts doing something. 

In the case of self-comparison, my biggest trigger was thinking about my height. Whenever I looked at my brother, I always started thinking of his tall height. It triggered a chain of thoughts and before I knew it, I was already comparing myself to different people for different reasons.

These triggers are different for different people. For you, it could be being in a better shape or having more money. Whatever the reason is, find it out so that you can deal with it in a better way.

2. Limit Your Triggers:

Now that you’ve understood the triggers, it’s time to limit them. It involves high focus and determination. However, since the triggers have been identified, dealing with them won’t be very tough.

The limiting method depends on the trigger type. For me, whenever I started thinking about my height, I always shifted my mind into thinking that it is a natural thing. I had nothing to do with my shorter height and neither did my brother with his taller height.

If someone is insecure about not having money, he should shift his mind into thinking that the other guy has earned it by hard work. If he, himself, works hard, he’ll be getting enough money for himself.

3. Control Social Media Consumption:

Social media is a big external factor that can cause self-comparison issues. However, staying connected with the world is important for us as well. So, instead of quitting social media, you need to control and limit its consumption. 

Controlling the usage will keep your brain away from triggers which will be helpful for dealing with self-comparison. 

Here are some tips to follow:

• Set a proper time limit in which you’ll use social apps. 
• Turn off notifications of social apps so that you don’t get tempted to use them. 
• Unfollow all people who might trigger self-comparison.

4. Practice Mindfulness:

Practicing mindfulness is another thing that you need to do in order to deal with self-comparison issues. It involves being aware of the surroundings and avoiding negative thoughts. When a person practices mindfulness, his brain stays calm and helps with anxiety issues. 

Besides that, it helps a person understand that being himself is the best thing he can do in order to be a great human being. Here are some things that you can do to be more mindful:

• Practice gratitude every day. 
• Go on a daily walk in the nature. 
• Try journaling and noting down your thoughts.
• Always try to focus on positive things in your life.

5. Workout Daily:

Working out daily is one of the most underrated things that you can do in order to stop comparing yourself with others. The point of working isn’t about being in a better shape than the others. It has a more biological reason behind it. 

Studies have shown that working out helps people stay active as well as happy. It releases happy hormones in the brain which keep us in a positive mood and be grateful. Besides that, it helps with neuroplasticity. It means our brain gets to develop new neurons and think in a better way. It will indirectly help out with dealing with mental issues. 

You can work out any way you want, which is the best part about it. It can involve lifting weights, doing a few pushups, or sticking to a proper exercise program.

Final Verdict

To sum it all up, comparing yourself with others is a natural human habit. We like to present ourselves in the best way possible. If we see someone who (we think) might be better than us, we start making comparisons.

Fortunately, it’s all in one’s head and can be dealt with in a easy way. However, you’ll have to follow a proper set of factors. These factors will help you out with becoming stronger both physically and mentally. 

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