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Comparison on Instagram
Hey guys!
I was on Instagram yesterday looking through my feed and I couldn't help comparing myself to others on the platform! In high school I definitely had self-esteem issues where I compared myself to other girls constantly. I'm so much better now and my self-esteem has grown a lot but I sometimes find myself back in the comparison mindset when I'm on Instagram.
What do you guys do to make yourselves feel better when you feel this way?
At the end of the day I wanted to post this so we can discuss ways we can combat feelings of negative (or upwards) comparison! It's so important to remind ourselves that there is only one 'you' in the world and everyone is beautiful and special in their own way
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
Ooo what a great thread @missep!
Instagram is defs a breeding ground for comparison and negative thoughts... I'm sure everyone can relate to this.
When we're scrolling we can forget just what we're looking at- everyone's 'highlight reel' - consisting of all the best moments, best angles, and best filters!
For me what's helpful is recognising when social media is becoming a negative factor for me and giving myself social media breaks when that happens - it might be for a day, a week or longer, but breaks can really help.
Another helpful thing is immediately unfollowing accounts that make me feel bad about myself - I try to fill my feed with body-positive gram'rs, and pretty pictures of nature. That way my feed can be quite an uplifting place!
Keen to hear everyone else's tips and tricks!
Happy gramming all!
I'm leaving ReachOut on the 5th of June

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Re: Comparison on Instagram
I really like your idea of tailoring your thread to be positive and foster happy feelings rather than being negatively affected by Instagram/social media.
I think this is so important because social media and the internet are so integrated into our daily lives that it's hard to escape it as hard as we can try so being able to make it work for us in a positive and conductive way is super important.
Great tips @gina-RO!
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
Thanks for opening up the conversation @missep - comparison is definitely something I struggle with a fair bit. If it's particularly bad, I'll deactivate my accounts on particular platforms - Instagram or Facebook.
Generally, I try to engage in an activity that takes me out of my head when I notice those comparisons/thoughts arising, e.g. by having a conversation with a friend/family member...
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
Hey @missep thanks for starting up this discussion! I try to do a similar thing to what @gina-RO suggested - tailoring my feed to things that make me feel good and inspired (Eg it is mostly cute animals, nature, interior decor, artists and people I know in real life). However I find sometimes those accounts that lead me to comparing myself or wanting to buy new clothes etc do creep in and I have to go through my 'following' list and really think about why I am following certain accounts. I definitely struggle with comparison too and do find I have to remind myself that instagram in general really is a highlight reel as @gina-RO mentioned.
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
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Re: Comparison on Instagram

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Re: Comparison on Instagram
I can absolutely relate to this, but as already mentioned, sometimes its best to remember that we are only seeing 2% of a persons day on an Instagram post. We don't know what was happening before or after the post.
Whenever I upload something, I always try and make up a funny caption or something a bit 'clever'. Sometimes though, I give myself a social media break. I find this good to take a breather and concentrate on the 'here and now',
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
I feel like doing your funny captions or something clever makes you relatable

Especially nowadays when people get paid thousands of dollars for posts and get 'instafamous'. Sometimes I really think that money can't buy happiness. I try to focus on happiness
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Re: Comparison on Instagram
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