On Comparison of Life Experiences

Ask Guerrilla Femme for the month of December

Welcome to Ask Guerrilla Femme. First thing’s first: I’m not a doctor. I’m not a therapist. I’m just a person who knows some stuff or at least knows how to find information (hi, librarian!)

As always, if you have a question, please submit here.

Dear Guerrilla Femme, how do you stop comparing yourself to others? I keep feeling like I’m so behind in life—even though I know that’s not true. I keep feeling like my life hasn’t started yet because I don’t have or haven’t experienced things that other people have. How can I stop comparing my path to someone else’s?

-R.

Dearest R., thank you for this tender question. I think it’s one that so many of us can relate to for various reasons.

I don’t know your age, but I will say as a new 38-year-old, I continue to struggle with feelings around comparison and where I’m at in my life. Social media obviously does not help with this. However, it’s not all social media’s fault. I’m old enough to remember not having social media and still comparing myself (and my life) to others around me. This is a very human thing to do—even if it feels so incredibly frustrating.