We all deal with comparison - yet know it doesn’t get us anywhere. However, for those of us with mental health challenges, these comparisons can tend to become somewhat constant and competitive.
Comparison arises from feeling behind, feeling insecure, and a range of other feelings and emotions. Firstly, I want you to remember that you’re not alone in these feelings. It’s a very human thing to compare ourselves - compare appearances, compare jobs, compare skills, compare lifestyles, and more. This can even apply to our struggles - maybe someone ‘has it worse,’ or we feel we shouldn’t feel a certain way, or something else. Often, when we’re not feeling great mentally, these comparisons can snowball and become a nasty cycle inside our minds.
Something I take comfort in is that, today, we don’t have the same milestones that society once had. Every single person has their own unique map and milestones. Some people want to travel the world, others want to stay home and study for their dream job, among thousands of other aspirations and dreams. Society has evolved in a way that allows everyone to have more of a choice in what they want their life to look like.
For those who experience health issues - in whatever form that may take - your life has taken you down a fairly different path from others. That means that you have to learn and adapt in ways that perhaps those around you haven’t. And that’s okay! But having a different experience means that your path will be unique to you.
We all know the saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and it is. Comparing ourselves to others won’t change anything, and it definitely won’t do anyone any good. Live your life for you. Be proud of everything you have already accomplished and know that you are enough, simply as you are now.
-Claudia
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