张玉婷

不適当地与他人进行比较会伤害自己及他人。真正的高贵在于优于昨天的自己，而不在于在和他人的比较中获得优越感。

Whether you compare how you look to your peers on WeChat Moments or you compare your academic performance to your classmates grades， comparisons arent healthy. In fact， a 2018 study published in Personality and Individual Differences found a direct link between envy and the way you feel about yourself.

Researchers found that people who compared themselves to others experienced envy. And the more envy they experienced， the worse they felt about themselves. It can be a vicious cycle.

Pay attention to times when you compare your appearance， skills， achievements， and academic performance. Thinking that other people are better or have more will erode your confidence in yourself. When you notice you are drawing comparisons， remind yourself that doing so isnt helpful. Everyone is running their own race and life isnt a competition.

Here are a few tips to help free yourself from the trap of comparison：

Be good to others. When youre being your best self， you may be less prone（易于遭受） to compare yourself to others or focus on the things that you lack. Helping others， especially those less fortunate than you， can provide a great perspective on how blessed you truly are in life.

Count your blessings. If youre feeling envious of someone elses life， remind yourself of your own strengths and successes. Consider keeping an ongoing gratitude journal to help you focus on your own life and not the lives of others.

Identify and avoid frenemies（友敌）. Are there certain people in your life that constantly judge and compare， and just bring out your strength in a not good way？ Its okay to limit contact with these individuals or， if possible， avoid them completely.

Seek positive support. As you get away from the negative people in your life， its also important to cultivate a social circle of people who support and motivate you to be your best self， and who remind you of the good in you.

Apart from the suggestions made in the text， can you think of any other ways to free yourself from the trap of comparison？