Comparing ourselves to friends and family has been something we’ve all done before, but the popularity of social media has only amplified it more. How many times have you sat there and compared your life to that of someone you’ve never met? Often, we sit and make an assessment of someone’s life based on their social post or, as I like to call it, their highlight reel.
Judgment can hurt our lives, and we can start to ignore our successes. We create more opportunities for self-criticism and judgment, leaving us in a bad headspace that can make us feel stuck. Now more than ever, we should all do a judgment detox.
To go through a judgment detox, you need to find the source of where your judgment. Think about where you feel most of it is coming from; is it after you exit a social media app? Is it after leaving a networking event? Are you judging your friend’s successes?
It can be painful to acknowledge how much we judge. Because we don’t do it to be mean to others, but we are feeding our inner critic. Realizing where the source of your judgment is coming from can help you get to the root of what is making you upset. For example, maybe you left a networking event judging someone’s career choices because you are not happy with where you are in your career journey.
Take a break from the source of your judgment so that you can focus on yourself and self-compassion. Once you identify the source, take a moment to reflect (journal, record yourself, mediate) on why you are holding this judgment. How does it relate to your inner self, and what aspects of your life do you need more dedicated time to? For example, maybe you spent a large part of your time on social media judging and comparing someone’s fitness goal. Instead, focus on a goal that is reasonable to you and create an action plan to succeed. By doing so, you are shifting your focus from a stranger to yourself.
Keep yourself reminded of what is important to you by writing it down or saying it every day. The truth is most of us won’t post the ugly or bad days on social media, and we are all struggling with something. The judgment detox will allow you to understand yourself better, and you will learn to like and accept yourself for who you are and where you are in life’s journey.
