Social comparison is a natural part of human behavior. Remember, your journey is unique, and your worth is not determined by how you measure up to others. Focus on your personal growth, set meaningful goals, celebrate successes, and use social comparison as inspiration, not validation.
I’m not suggesting you wear rose-colored glasses, pretending the tough stuff doesn’t exist, but I am suggesting building a habit of realistic optimism. Realistic optimism is a mindset that combines a positive outlook with a grounded understanding of reality. It involves maintaining hope and confidence while acknowledging and accepting the challenges and uncertainties of life. Rather than denying or minimizing difficulties, realistic optimists approach situations with resilience, flexibility, and a belief in their ability to navigate obstacles effectively.
When we are always passing judgment on ourselves and others, this constant state of criticism can negatively impact our mental wellbeing, driving self-comparison, harming our relationships with others, fueling anxiety, and worsening depression. But when we work to edit these thoughts and overcome our brain’s negativity bias, we build new neural pathways and train our brain to overcome these intrusive thoughts.
Create a habit of taking time to strategically stop throughout your day, check-in with yourself, and give your brain some time to process. After all, new habits are most likely to stick if you pair a behavior you want to develop with a habit you already have.
Doom Scrolling: What it Is, Why it’s Harmful, & Tips to AvoidDoom Scrolling: What it Is, Why it’s Harmful, & Tips to AvoidDoom Scrolling: What it Is, Why it’s Harmful, & Tips to Avoid You’ve done it, I’ve done it, we’ve all done it: waste hours scrolling endlessly on social media, filling our brains with…