Everyone's Life Looks Better Online: How I Stopped Comparing

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1. 01Everyone's Life Looks Better Online

   Good afternoon. I'm thirty-four, I work in marketing in Dubai, and for years, I had a quiet habit that made me unhappy: comparing my life to other people's lives online. Today, I'll talk about why this happens and what helped me stop.

   午安。我今年三十四歲，在迪拜做市場營銷。多年來，我有一個不聲不響、卻讓我不開心的習慣：在網路上拿自己的生活和別人的生活比較。今天，我想談談為什麼會這樣，以及是什麼幫我改掉了這個習慣。

2. 02The Problem

   Every time I opened an app, I saw friends getting married, getting promoted, or relaxing on a beach. My own life was fine, but suddenly, it felt small. I felt like I was falling behind in a race I never chose to enter.

   每次開啟App，我都會看到朋友們結婚、升職，或者在海灘上度假。我自己的生活其實還不錯，但突然之間就顯得很渺小。我覺得自己在一場從來沒有選擇參加的比賽中落後了。

3. 03Why It Happens: The Highlight Reel

   Eventually, I realized what was happening. People post their highlight reel: the best ten seconds of their year. Meanwhile, I was comparing those moments with my whole life, including the boring and difficult parts. It was never a fair comparison.

   後來，我終於明白了是怎麼回事。人們發的都是自己的高光時刻：一年中最精彩的那十秒鐘。而我卻拿這些瞬間和我的整個生活比較，包括那些無聊和艱難的部分。這從來都不是公平的比較。

4. 04Solution 1: Notice the Feeling

   My first step was simply noticing. When I felt a little sting of jealousy, I'd stop and ask myself, "How do I feel right now, and why?" Just naming the feeling made it weaker.

   我的第一步只是去覺察。當我感到一絲嫉妒的刺痛時，我會停下來問自己：「我現在感覺怎麼樣？為什麼？」光是說出這種感受，它就會變弱。

5. 05Solution 2: Change What I See

   Second, I changed what I see. I muted accounts that always left me feeling bad, even friends' accounts, and followed more people who teach skills or share honest stories.

   第二，我改變了自己看到的內容。我把那些總讓我心情變差的賬號設成了靜音，甚至包括朋友的賬號，並且關注了更多傳授技能或分享真實故事的人。

6. 06Solution 3: Compare With My Past Self

   Third, I changed the comparison. Instead of asking, "Am I doing as well as them?", I ask, "Am I doing better than I was last year?" That question is fair, and it's one I can actually control.

   第三，我改變了比較的方式。我不再問自己：「我過得和他們一樣好嗎？」而是問：「我比去年的自己過得更好嗎？」這個問題是公平的，而且是我真正能掌控的。

7. 07What Changed

   I still use social media every day, so I didn't solve this by quitting. But I feel much calmer now, and I'm more grateful for my own life, including the ordinary parts.

   我現在還是每天都用社交媒體，所以我並不是靠戒掉它來解決問題的。但我現在平靜多了，也更加感恩自己的生活，包括那些平凡的部分。

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, remember that you're seeing other people's best moments, not their whole story. Notice the feeling, choose what you see, and compare yourself with who you were. Thank you.

   最後，請記住，你看到的是別人最精彩的瞬間，而不是他們的全部故事。覺察自己的感受，選擇自己看的內容，並和過去的自己比較。謝謝大家。