Quite a few people have the bad habit of constantly comparing themselves to others. Achievements and failures, appearance, character, financial wealth, talents and, in general, all life can be compared. And not every person who gravitates to such a habit realizes that the constant comparison of oneself with someone else is almost never able to lead to something good.
In extremely rare cases, the tendency to compare yourself to another person can produce positive results. For some people, this habit is a way to motivate yourself to move forward, to develop and achieve some goals, to make some changes in your life. However, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the relationship of oneself with another person leads to negative consequences. Moreover, they are not always realized to the proper extent.
Why is comparison bad? The main trouble with such a habit is that it can not push a person to any accomplishments, but, on the contrary, force him to stagnate in one place. When a person compares himself to other people, most often he emphasizes that the other person is successful, handsome and popular, which cannot be said about himself. Gradually, this can generate constant internal stress, nurture useless complexes and fears, and greatly underestimate self-esteem.
The habit of regularly comparing your achievements and successes with the achievements and successes of other people can lead to depletion of internal forces, to an excessive decrease in motivation. Psychologists are sure that the tendency to compare oneself with others inevitably leads to regression, to a lack of self-development.
For individuals who are naturally anxious, impressionable, vulnerable and very emotional, such a bad habit can literally turn into a disaster. It is the tendency to compare that can form the basis for the development of neuroses, anxiety disorders, cause apathy, or even cause prolonged depression. As a rule, it is almost impossible to get out of such states on your own.
It is also harmful to compare oneself to others for the reason that such a tendency endows the inner critic, which each person has, with special powers. Against the background of constant comparison, self-accusation, self-flagellation begins to develop. A person ceases to adequately assess himself, his life, his talents, successes, achievements. Stops setting normal goals for himself. Over time, the idea that a person deserves a wonderful life, that he wants and can develop his skills and build a normal career is suppressed from consciousness. As a rule, people in this state reject the idea that life is arranged in such a way that someone will always be a cut above, one step ahead. They begin to perceive the whole world - including themselves - only in a gloomy, dismal light.
Comparison can easily ruin any talent. An aspiring artist who has a similar habit can very quickly give up drawing, comparing himself to already established illustrators and artists.
The situation when parents constantly compare their child with someone else, and the child himself appears in a negative light, can lead to the fact that the child becomes passive, withdrawn. In adulthood, such a person may differ in dependence, indecision, inability to defend his opinion. He will always turn to other people, notice what they supposedly do better. In addition, constant comparison can foster an increased procrastination tendency in a child.
Psychologists adhere to the idea that the constant comparison of yourself with other people blocks the production of internal energy. And without it, it is impossible to develop normally and be successful in life. This energy usually fuels interest, craving for new things, the desire to achieve something. Without such a person's life becomes dull, boring, gray. And the person himself is strengthened in the thought that he is a failure, it is not clear why he came into this world at all.
