Social media was supposed us to keep connected but most of our time spending in comparing ourself with others. But we need to learn how to stop comparing youself with others on social media.
When we open Instagram we feel we are not good enough. We feel our room is messy, we need new skin care routine, we need new car and this thing cause stress overthinking and other problems in our daily life.
If you feel this you are not alone.
In this article you’ll learn 5 ways how to stop comparing yourself with others on social media.
Here are 5 way to stop comparing yourself with others on social media.
Why Social Media Makes Us Feel “Not Good Enough”
Social media trigger our feeling to feel inadequacy because it highlights the curated reels but not show the real life.
When you start comparison on social media like your house is so much messy, your job not fulfilling your daily needs, your relationship is not like the actress of social media life.
When you enter in this comparison this thing cause lower self estimate and “fear or missing out” which is called (FOMO).
According to research by American psychological association social media comparison leads to anxiety and low self esteem.www.apa.org
You scroll and instantly you feel anxious stop comparing
It a common feel of sudden wave of anxiety when you scrolling on social media to stop comparing.
Social media instantly hit a trigger of overstimulation and exploiting a natural bias.
It is common your body is reacting to the endless stream of comparison, negative thoughts and endless notifications and endless thoughts.
Here is how to break this anxious loop. If you feel ancxious read my last articlehttps://calmpathonline.com/stop-overthinking-at-night/
Belly Breathing
Belly breathing is a exercises that involves diaphragmatic breathing that involves the diaphragm to help your lungs fill efficiently.
It lowers the heart rate, reduce stress and calm your body by conserving energy.
For this practice you need to sit down or lie comfortably. Then place your one hand on your chest and other one belly. start exercise by inhale of air slowly through your nose, and let your belly expend like a balloon but your chest stays still. Then exhale gently through your lips and pull your stomach inward.
For doing doing this exercise properly follow these steps properly
Find a comfy spot
Lie on a flat surface and bent your knees or sit upward position straight and place your neck and shoulder in calm and relax position.
Place your hands
If you lie on flat surface or sitting down you must keep your one hand on your chest and other one on your belly just below your cage of ribs.
Inhale deeply
Take a slow deep breath through your nose and in such condition your hand on your stomach should rise but the hand on your chest remain still on position.
Exhale slowly
Tight your stomach muscle and breath out slowly through pursed lips.
Repeat
Do this exercise for 5 to 10 minutes continues for calm your body.
3-3-3 rule
When you feel anxious because of comparison try 3-3-3 rule. Look around the and name the 3 things you can see, name three things you can hear and name three things you can touch physically.
Startle the sense
Splash cold water on your face or wash your face for 30 seconds to break trapped adrenaline to stop comparing.
Actionable digital boundries
Set intentions
Before opening any app ask yourself why are you opening this app. because mindless “zombie scrolling” trigger negative emotions.
Clean your feed
Unfollow or mute the accounts or channels that you feel thy spread negative vibes and doing comparison which makes you feel uncomfortable and trigger negative emotions and to stop comparing.
Set a daily time for scrolling
Don’t spend too much time scrolling. 15-to-30-minute blocks, ideally scheduling two distinct windows per day (e.g., 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM) to prevent negative thoughts and comarison
. Treat scrolling like a “snack” rather than a full meal,limiting the amount of time you spend using screens for leisure each day to two hours to stop comparing.
Use Built-in System Limits
Use the built-in tools on your phone to set hard caps rather than depending solely on willpower:
iOS (iPhone): Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap App Limits > Add Limit, select categories like Social Media, and choose your daily time cap.
Android: Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Dashboard. Tap the hourglass icon next to distracting apps and set your daily timer.
Generate a physical resistance
Make scrolling difficult so you are compelled to take mindful action.
Remove apps from your home screen: Move social media apps to a hidden folder.
Log out after each use: Requiring yourself to type your password creates a pause that breaks the habit loop.
Implement phone-free zones: Keep your phone away from the dining table and out of the bedroom to stop comparing yourself with others.
Your journey is not a competition
Everyone’s life has different journey and different story. So don’t create competition with others just by seeing their social life.
Define your value
Instead of pursuing what society says you should want, take the time to determine what matters most to you, such as creativity, family, and professional advancement.
Practice gratiute
Write things on notebook which you experience in day no matter how small thinngs you experience in a day.
Conclusion
Everyone’s life has a different journey and different story.So your life is not a race.
Stop measuring your behind the scenes against someone’s else highlighted video. Because people just post 1% of thier life on social media.
Your life goal is not to be better than them. Your actual goal is to be better than who you were yesterday.
Take a break from social media to see your beautiful life.
Disclaimer
This article is just for general information only and is not a subsitute for professional medical advice. If you have serious medical problem talk to your doctor.