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This short exercise helps you recognize unconscious comparison patterns in everyday life and consciously open up new spaces for thinking and action. It combines focused self-awareness, an inner anchor, and small steps in daily life — with the goal of strengthening your self-worth independently of external standards.
How the Exercise Works:
1. Morning Preparation:
Consciously choose one area where you often find yourself comparing (e.g., professional performance, physical appearance, creativity).
2. Inner Statement:
Formulate a clear inner attitude to guide you through the day, for example:
- “I focus on my own path.”
- “My worth is not determined by comparison.”
- “I am enough just as I am.”
3. Everyday Practice:
Throughout the day, pay attention to situations where you feel the impulse to compare yourself.
When you notice it:
- Pause for a moment.
- Acknowledge the comparison consciously.
- Then shift your focus back to your own strengths, values, or progress.
- Silently repeat your chosen inner statement.
4. Evening Reflection:
Take a few minutes at the end of the day to answer the following questions:
- In which moments did you notice yourself comparing?
- What helped you redirect your focus back to yourself?
- What new thoughts or feelings emerged?
Additional Tip: Mindful Media Consumption
Social media in particular can unconsciously trigger many comparison patterns.
Observe carefully whether certain content or platforms increase your tendency to compare yourself.
If you notice this, you might want to:
- take conscious breaks,
- limit your screen time,
- or selectively follow accounts that inspire rather than unsettle you.
Sometimes even a small distance can help you lovingly shift the focus back to yourself.
Note:
This exercise is not about banning comparisons entirely — comparisons are a natural part of being human. Rather, it invites you to recognize them consciously and gain more freedom in your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
