While you often associate comparison anxiety with social media, the truth is that it can occur offline too. The workplace is a common place to suffer with comparison anxiety. Whether it is comparing your performance to a colleague or worrying you are the weakest link on the team, comparison anxiety at work can affect your performance and your mental health.
If you suffer with comparison anxiety at work, below you’ll discover some great tips for dealing with it.
Reflect on How You Feel
Start by reflecting on how you feel. When you are idolizing someone else’s situation, it is often because you wish you had the same qualities. It could be you are jealous over a colleague because they are more popular than you are. Or you may be jealous of a promotion they got, highlighting your desire for recognition or extra financial gain.
Once you have a better understanding of what is driving your anxiety, you can work on combatting it.
Think about the Accomplishments You’ve Made
Although you may not be exactly where you want to be in your career, think about your accomplishments. All too often we focus on the negative, sweeping our achievements under the rug. So, write a list of the accomplishments you’ve achieved at work. This could be over the space of a year, a week or even a day.
Start writing down your accomplishments as they happen too. This will help to keep you feeling more positive about yourself in the workplace and minimize how much you compare yourself to others.
Set Yourself Goals
If you suffer with comparison anxiety because you feel stuck in a rut, setting goals will help. This can also help to turn workplace competition into a more positive thing.
Think about what you want to achieve at work and how you could become happier in your job. Then, set yourself small, attainable goals to work towards. As you reach these goals, it will motivate you to continue working on the others.
If you look at any successful businessperson, the one thing they often have in common is the fact they constantly set and work towards their goals.
Develop Friendships with Your Peers
If you really want to tackle your comparison anxiety, it can help to develop friendships with peers. That way, you will start to view them in a much more positive manner. They won’t be your competitors anymore. Instead, they will inspire you to do better.
Make an effort to get to know everyone at work. Compliment them and start expanding your network. This can really boost your confidence too, reducing the likelihood you’ll compare yourself to others.
Overall, workplace comparison anxiety can be difficult to deal with. However, the above are some of the best tips you can follow. By understanding why you are comparing yourself to others, it gives you the opportunity to see how you can change it.
