Stop Comparing your life to Instasham
This national wellness month, Serenity Zone is promoting multiple ways to prioritize your self-care and overall wellness. When we think of self-care, we often imagine techniques such as meditation, exercise, yoga, journaling, etc. However, when you think of your daily routine, you may be ignoring a key daily habit that is negatively affecting your wellness.
When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing you do? Let the vision of you doing that come to mind. If you said meditation, be honest and try again. Most likely, you reach for your phone and scroll through your social media. You see what everyone else is up to. How many times do we google, “Instagram worthy places in New York '' to have some “Instagram worthy” photo on our feed? If you do this, take a step back and ask yourself, “Why do I go to these places?” Is it because you genuinely want to create memories, or is it because you want to put your best life forward on Instagram? When we go through social media, we often compare our lives to our peers. We forget about the success in our life and think, “Ugh, Diane is traveling the world, and I’m here doing nothing.” We look at other people’s bodies and then stare at our own in disgust. We judge our current life based on the posts that other people make on their feeds.
These concepts all reflect the Social Comparison Theory, which states that individuals instinctually judge their own self-value by comparing themselves to others. The Social Comparison Theory states that frequent social media use is connected to higher levels of anxiety and depression, especially in women. It’s highly understood that frequent use of social media by women can lead to a higher possibility of forming an eating disorder, due to the hyper-awareness and comparison of body types.
So how do we stop the circle of comparison and prioritize our own social wellness?
Reduce Morning Screen Time: Starting your day with social media raises the chances of social comparison, and therefore starting your day depressed. Instead of reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, consider the following tips below.
Deep Breathing: Start your day off with a couple of deep belly breaths to become centered in your body.
Morning Meditation: Doing a quick morning meditation can help increase serotonin levels in your brain.
Morning Tea/Coffee/Water Time: If you are a breakfast beverage person, try spending some alone time by having your tea, coffee, or water by your window or table. Spending some alone time in the morning can help you prepare for the day and become centered.
Practice Gratitude Time: We often forget the good in our own lives when we compare ourselves to others. Scheduling time throughout the day to focus on your accomplishments and the positives in your life can help reframe a negative mindset.
Focus on Your Strengths: Dedicating your time to focus on your strengths can help boost confidence. The following are tips for focusing on your strengths.
Create positive affirmations based on your strengths. Examples include: “I am kind, I am smart, etc.”
Build on your strengths by making sure to complete activities based on each of your strengths.
Thought Stopping: If you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else, try these thought-stopping strategies.
Imagine a stop sign or say the word “stop” to yourself.
Tell yourself to freeze and imagine an ice cube.
Once you’ve stopped your thought, reframe it by focusing on your strengths and the positives in your life.
