Nothing steals your joy faster than comparison.

Social media has infinite options for us to feel shitty about ourselves by comparing our lives to others.

Sure, you could quit social media altogether. I have tried this at least 7 times, each time it did not stick. There were too many benefits of social media that I didn’t want to deny (e.g. building community, meeting amazing humans, being able to inspire people all over the world, and growing my business).

Yes, you can unfollow or block people, but that also feels extreme. Don’t get me wrong—if someone totally feels out of alignment I unfollow them quickly. But it’s more complicated than that.

Because there are also awesome humans that I love that trigger or activate my nervous system and steal my focus and ruin my day.

I’ll notice that my shoulders cave in. My breathing slows down; I literally get smaller. The energy I had to go out into the world and explore and expand and express is suddenly contracted and slow.

Sometimes this can be caused by close friends or family members. Sometimes these are people in my industry who I deeply respect.

Unfollowing them feels unnecessary.

Did you know that Instagram has an awesome option that allows you to “mute” them instead?

The best part of muting is that they will never know.

I want to suggest that you mute anyone who steals your joy in this way. And by anyone I mean ANYONE.

Next time you’re on Instagram and you start feeling less-than, notice if that same person regularly messes with your mood. If so, no matter who it is, think about hitting that “mute” button.

An important caveat: I’m not suggesting that you mute people and causes that have different opinions from you. You don’t need to mute someone who helps you expand your opinion of the world, even if they make you feel uncomfortable. Instead what I’m suggesting is that if you’re spiralling down a comparison rabbit hole, ask yourself, “Do I need to be looking at this? Is this supporting me to rise up to my best potential?”

Big love,

D

Watch my 60-second tutorial on how to “mute” someone on Instagram here —> https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoKZhpuAX3y/