Social Media and the Habit of Comparing

You are comparing your real life with the very best part of someone else's life. That is an unfair comparison.

Social media shows you moments that have been selected: the trip, the beautiful meal, the good news, the achievement. Very few people post the exhausting evenings or the times they failed. Meanwhile, you know every untidy part of your own life.

Comparison is a human instinct. The problem is that today you can compare yourself hundreds of times a day, with people you have never met.

Signs that scrolling is taking more than it gives

• Putting the phone down and feeling emptier and more restless than when you picked it up
• Measuring your own worth by likes and comments
• Feeling uncomfortable at an acquaintance's good news, then blaming yourself for it
• Scrolling through negative news continuously even though you know it is making you feel worse
• Losing sleep because you watch late into the night, and reaching for the phone the moment you open your eyes in the morning

A few ways to adjust

• Set a time limit rather than aiming to "quit entirely" — quitting entirely usually does not last
• Unfollow or turn off notifications for the accounts that regularly leave you feeling worse
• Keep the phone outside the bedroom and use a separate alarm clock
• Message a friend directly instead of only scrolling
• When you catch yourself comparing, remind yourself simply: this is their edited version

A note for young people and parents

Adolescence is a stage when self-image is still taking shape, so the pressure to compare tends to weigh more heavily. Parents should talk with their children rather than only forbidding things, and should pay attention if a child withdraws, drops their friends, or changes how they sleep or eat.

When you need a professional

See a doctor or a mental health professional if low mood, anxiety or low self-worth lasts more than two weeks and affects your studies, your work, your sleep or your relationships.

If thoughts of harming yourself appear, tell someone close to you right away and go to the nearest medical facility. This is a situation that needs help immediately.

This information is for general reference only and does not replace advice from your doctor.

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