"Comparison is the thief of joy" — Theodore Roosevelt really knew what he was talking about.

If you feel as though everyone else is living their best lives and you feel stuck and stagnant, your feelings are valid. It's completely normal to feel like the world is moving too fast and everyone else is keeping up. It's all fake. You are in control of only the things you are in control of.

This is how I've stopped letting people steal my joy.

I've taken a step back from social media because, for me, it can be a pretty toxic place. There is so much information being thrown at me, from ads to sponsored content, to people posting about their lives. It can be difficult to sift through the piles of information and determine what truly matters. I am very wary of the news and other media that I get from the internet because sometimes it simply isn't true. Fact-checking and getting verified information is something that I value because I use it to formulate my opinions.

I also try not to spend my day scrolling through my phone. This is a habit that has taken me months to break and it's still something that I am very aware of. What truly caused me to change my mindset was something that happened to me some time ago. My mom needed help to go to the grocery store but I couldn't be bothered to get up because I was scrolling on my phone. When she came back a few hours later, she had so much food in the car and again, I was still sitting in the same spot. It really hit me at that moment that I had spent almost two hours in the exact same position and I didn't move AT ALL. I realized that I was literally wasting my life away sitting down on the couch. I was watching "Yes Theory," a Youtube channel that challenges people to seek discomfort. I was watching them go skydiving and go all around the world, but there I was, just sitting in the same spot.

I was too busy watching other people live their lives that I was forgetting to live mine.

So, I make it a conscious effort not to spend a lot of time on my phone, computer, or watching TV. I'm not saying to stop consuming this type of media. Rather, I am saying that less is more. Find other things that you like to do and incorporate them into your daily lives. For example, when I was little, I was an avid reader and writer. As I got older and I got my phone and computer, I stopped writing stories and reading books.

Now I chose to read when I get the chance.

Now I read on my commute instead of using my phone.

I write more now and I absolutely love it.

I've realized that people are at wildly different stages in their lives and comparing myself to them is only making me upset. I will always want what I don't have. I have to deal with my own reality. I implore you all to do the same.