In an age of social media and constant sharing, feelings of insecurity and inadequacy have this strange way of creeping in. Being able to witness other people’s amazing adventures and glamorous lives on Snapchat and Instagram makes it very easy for you to begin to analyze your own life and try to draw comparisons. In college, we have this heightened environment where the FOMO is very real, indeed. Feeling like you don’t measure up or are as talented, smart, successful, or beautiful as someone else is a horrible feeling, one that I myself have unfortunately experienced far too often.

But today I’m arguing that we need to stop spending so much time comparing ourselves to others. It can be difficult when there is a constant stream of ‘amazingness’ out there for you to compare yourself to, but stopping the endless analyzing is necessary for your mental and emotional health.

So how do we stop these obsessive comparisons? Honestly, I don’t think there is any one right answer on this. Instead, I think we all need to take little steps everyday to turn off that voice in our heads that says we aren’t good enough. I think that when this voice begins to speak, we need to refill our brains with positive affirmations that we are good enough, that we’re not perfect but we are doing the best that we can, and that where we are today is okay because tomorrow we will be where we are supposed to be. 

Everyone has their own journey in life, and comparing yours to someone else’s simply isn’t rational. No one is perfect, and everyone has their own successes and struggles to deal with. Instead of drawing pointless comparisons, we need to learn to focus on the amazing things that we have accomplished thus far, analyze what we still want to accomplish, and do what is necessary to get there. One person’s path to success is different than another’s, so trying to be exactly like someone else or feeling like you have to do the exact same things they’ve done is simply a bad way to live your life.

So the next time you feel that inner voice telling you that you aren’t as good as someone else, stop. Breathe, relax, and focus on your own personal journey moving forward. You aren’t that other person – you are your own unique self with your own personal story. It’s up to you to write it exactly as you want.

Related: 101 Ways to Happiness