Comparing yourself to others: how to stop letting it bring you down

Topics covered: friendships, social media

About: Comparison is when we measure ourselves against others – how they look, what they’ve achieved, or how their lives seem to be going. In this blog, Grace explores how comparison affects our mental health, and shares practical tips for valuing ourselves and finding our own path.

Have you ever scrolled through social media wishing you were living like the people you follow? Has a friend ever shown you an outfit that suits them perfectly and you wish you could pull it off too? Maybe there's that one person in your class who gets praise and recognition for their work, and you feel like you're not good enough even though you try just as hard. This is comparison and it's a perfectly normal thing to do.

Comparison is something I have experienced a lot, especially as I have gotten older. I find that not only do I compare myself to others, but I also compare myself, as I am now, to the things I have already achieved. But comparing ourselves with others can start to affect our mental health and lifestyle. We might start copying the people we want to be like or making changes that don't feel right. I know it's easier said than done, but it’s important to accept and value ourselves as we are. We are all great in our own different ways.

Here are some tips for navigating the journey of comparison and finding our own identity.

I hope this piece makes a difference to someone, somewhere, who is struggling with comparing themselves to others. Or even, of course, to themselves. If that person is you, please know that you're not alone. We all go through it. No one is perfect and there will always be something that we don't like about ourselves or something that someone else has that we feel we’re missing. But one thing that makes us the same is that we are all different, and we should try to remember that when we want to be someone else.