We have all been there, you look at what others are doing and start to compare yourself to their lives and think about where you should be in your own life. This is always hard to avoid, especially when social media is constantly reminding us of the life events of others every day.
Let’s break this down and talk about it –
First of all, you are not alone! So take a deep breath and take some pressure off of yourself. Remember, every person moves at their own pace in life and life doesn’t have a set timeline, you don’t have to do things or complete things at certain times in your life. You don’t have to follow a ‘traditional’ route that people think is ‘expected’ of them. You can do things when it feels right for you and not when society tells you it’s right.
One of the most damaging things you can do to yourself is to compare your life to others because if you start following the life paths of other people, this could lead to following someone else’s lifestyle which may not be right for you. You can be influenced by other people’s life and ideas which is fine but make sure that you don’t let it pressure you in any way, don’t follow others, do the things you feel are right for you and so it at the right time for you, it is so important to take things at your own pace as you need to look after your mental health and not let all these possible pressures affect you.
Secondly, shift the narrative and focus on your progress, think about all your wins, big or small and how far you have come. You might not be where you thought you would be at this time in your life, but that is more than ok as it doesn’t mean you haven’t made progress it just could mean that you’ve had other opportunities or hurdles that have stopped you in your tracks. Remember life can be unpredictable! Always think about the things that you have achieved and the things that you are working on that will soon become an achievement, things you are working on for yourself are your wins!
Finally, as much as social media is a great platform to interact, celebrate and document your life, sometimes this can be a problem if you are feeling behind in life. Remember that social media only shows the parts of people’s life that they want the world to see, this doesn’t mean that everything is running smoothly in their lives, you might think that you are in a worse position when actually in reality you may be in a much more positive place than you think. You never know what people’s lives are like behind closed door which is something to be mindful of.
I hope this has helped in some way and has given you some pointers on how to make peace with your pressures about life and the pace of life. Remember this is your journey nobody else’s! So always be kind to yourself and understand that life isn’t a race! You are going to achieve what you want to achieve!
Lots of love x