On the go? Listen to The Stress Less Show as a Podcast!
As powerful and beautiful as social media can be, feelings of inadequacy and jealousy can make it a lonely place at times too. We see the glamorous posts from people’s vacations and the successful entrepreneurs celebrating new achievements and we can start to feel like we’re the only ones out here struggling! Well, the fact is that the social media comparison game is real - and we’ve all played it! That is why I am glad branding marketing strategist, Robyn Graham, took the time to come on The Stress Less Show to talk to me about how we can stop playing the comparison game when we’re scrolling through our feeds.
Robyn has a very unique perspective on this topic! As a brand marketing strategist, she has helped countless clients show up as their best and most authentic selves online - a skill that she has found most of us could use a hand on.
“As I was working with them, I realized most people don’t understand what it means to brand themselves.”
While we may only think about branding when it comes to companies and businesses, but we all have a personal brand. Especially when we show up on social media! As a result, Robyn has, through her work, come up with a few tips on how to keep your focus on ourselves and off of what everyone else is doing on social media that can apply to your business, your career, and your personal life!
Tip #1: Take Action for Yourself
Robyn’s first tip is all about giving yourself some social media self-care and focusing on creating our own platform that is authentic to who we truly are. Some great places to start, according to Robyn, is with a great profile picture that best represents you across all platforms, or a refreshed bio that speaks to your accomplishments and story. Then, follow it up with content that aligns with who you are.
“The reality is, as long as you’re putting valuable content out - it’s educating, it’s entertaining, it’s inspiring your audience and you’re building the know, like and trust factor, you can think about yourself [or] your business without comparing yourself to others.”
As we focus on our platform, we grow new confidence in ourselves and this confidence is what can help us resist the urge to compare follow counts or likes on Instagram. The more time we spend on ourselves, the less time we have to spend comparing ourselves to others!
Tip #2: Focus on Gratitude
Another key step in letting go of comparing ourselves to others, Robyn stresses, is to really focus in on our own blessings. When we constantly look at all the blessings other people post about on social media, It can be easy to lose sight of what we have in our lives. But the reality is that our lives are often filled with blessings that those very people on our timeline may not even have. Most importantly, Robyn emphasizes one of the most important things we all need a good reminder of when it comes to our social feeds: they are usually just a highlight reel.
“Everything on social media is a facade. People are putting their best foot forward for social media. So realize that your life is the most important thing.”
Everyone has blessings and everyone faces challenges in life, but we will only ever really get a full picture of our own. The more we can remember to count our own blessings rather than everyone else’s, the easier it will be to resist comparison on social media.
Tip #3: Learn From Others
At the end of the day, we can’t always stop ourselves from feeling the sting of comparison when we scroll through our feeds. However, Robyn’s final tip is to take that initial feeling of inadequacy that comes up when we compare ourselves to others, get curious, and use it as a way to learn and grow.
“Take advantage of what they’re putting out into the universe and absorb it and then apply it to your business.”
Growth can happen anywhere. Other people may be showcasing new ideas on social media that we can implement in our own lives and businesses. When we can move past the emotional response that comes from comparison, we realize that they can help us identify areas in which we want to improve and offer a roadmap for us to move forward from a place of growth, confidence, and gratitude.
—
Have you heard? Self-love accountability has gotten a whole lot easier! We’ve launched Self Care In Action, a brand new virtual self-care accountability group to help you relax and recharge in the comfort of your own home! Learn more here and join us for our next session on September 15th at 5:30pm ET!