How to Stop Comparing and Start Living Your Life

The Situation

You’re scrolling, seeing perfect-looking people with clear skin, fun trips, and relationship videos. All of a sudden, your stomach sinks, and your day, which was okay, just got worse. That’s the comparison trap. It’s not new, but it’s hard to deal with.

One thing I want to say to you to help you overcome this crisis of yours is that you’re comparing your life to their edited one.

The Real

They take six or seven seconds, or even sixty-seven seconds, out of their life to edit a video or picture, add a thought-out audio, and finish their post, which probably took 10 minutes (or more) to create.

Their real life, the time it took to get it right, the anxiety to post, and the emptiness they felt when they don’t get as many likes as they hoped, hits just like yours.

The Solution (A Detox)

A social media detox is a period where you step back from a platform for a few hours, a full day, or even just muting notifications for Insta, Tiktok, and Snapchat.

The point of a detox isn’t to delete your accounts and become a monk. It’s about taking a break so you remember what your thoughts feel like without everyone else playing in the background.

How to do a Detox

To start off, pick one day this weekend like Saturday or Sunday. Tell your close friends so they don’t think you’re ghosting them. Then, delete the apps from your home screen or deactivate (so you’ll seem mysterious on Insta) and see how it feels. You could also try something even easier: the screen time method. This is where you put a screen time limit on your phone and give the password to someone trusted. This way you can’t put the password in and keep scrolling. This will actually help your brain rest instead of worrying about what’s going on or what other people are doing.