[Music] welcome back to another episode of podcast and chill dear listeners I'm your host Leo the guy who teaches you something while making you laugh and I'm Gwen your informative host here to help you understand today's topic today we have a topic that many of you might relate to we're talking about comparison how we compare ourselves to others and why we should stop exactly comparing ourselves to others can make us feel bad but don't worry Leo and I are going to explain why comparing can be harmful we'll also give you simple tips to help you
focus on yourself are you ready to start this journey then let's get started have you ever thought about why people compare themselves to others Leo well people compare themselves to other people for different reasons some want to know how they are doing compared to others others feel stress from friends or Society oh yeah comparing can help them see what they are good at and what they need to improve but it can also make them feel sad or like they are not good enough so comparing ourselves to others can be bad have you ever thought about
why this can hurt us let me explain it to you when we compare ourselves to others we often feel like we're not good enough for example if you see someone who's more successful smarter or better looking you might think why am I not like them this can make you feel sad and stressed yes and when we focus too much on what others have achieved we forget to work on our own progress It's like being in a race but you're always watching others inad instead of focusing on yourself I also talk about comparison but it's about
looking back at how you've been comparing yourself over time exactly everyone's life is different we all have our own challenges strengths and goals so comparing yourself to someone else is like comparing apples to oranges it doesn't make sense here's something interesting from a study by the American Psychological Association it showed that people who who often compare themselves to others are more likely to feel anxious that's a great Point Gwen so what can we do how can we stop comparing ourselves and start feeling better about our lives let's talk about that next one good way is
to focus on your own progress even small steps are important Gwen how can our listeners see their progress well Leo you can look back back at where you started for example if you're learning English think about how much better you are now than a few months ago maybe before you couldn't understand English movies but now you can understand some words that's progress yes remember progress takes time you can't learn English in just one day but if you practice every day you will get better a good way to see your progress is to write it down
down keep a notebook each week write one thing you did better for example this week I learned 10 new words or I spoke English with my friends that's a great idea you can also make a success board put notes or pictures of your achievements this will help you see your progress yes even small steps are still steps forward even if you feel slow you're still moving forward [Music] do you think social media can stop us from feeling good let's talk about it oh yes social media like Instagram Facebook Tik Tok it's everywhere social media can
be fun but it can also make us feel bad about ourselves Gwen why do you think social media makes us compare more well Leo on social media people only show the best parts of their lives you see nice pictures happy moments and big wins but you don't see the hard times the failures or the problems they don't show that's so true it's easy to look at someone's vacation photos or a friend's new job and think why isn't my life like that but what you see online is not the whole story we don't see the tough
moments on Instagram or Facebook someone might show a picture of their new car but they don't show the hard work they did to get it or someone might post a picture looking great but they don't show the effort it took to look that way so next time you look at social media remember you're only seeing the good stuff instead of comparing think about what you're doing well and now we will learn some vocabulary from today's podcast episode you can take out your notes to learn these words comparison definition the process of comparing two or more
people or things example comparing yourself to someone else is like comparing apples and oranges challenge definition something difficult that needs a lot of effort to do example everyone's life is different we all have our own challenges and strengths achieve definition to reach a goal or complete something important example example when we pay too much attention to what others have achieved we forget to focus on our own progress strength definition something you are good at or strong in example everyone has strengths some people are good at sports others are creative progress definition the process of improving
or developing something example even small steps are important for your own progress [Music] it's time to practice with two questions related to the topic of the episode focus on the question and answer as best you can please type your answer below in the comment section to discuss with others listeners question one why is it important to focus on your own progress instead of someone else's success because watching your own progress helps you grow everyone is different so don't compare question two is how can you avoid comparing yourself to others when using social media you can
remind yourself that social media shows only the best parts of life not the whole story just focus on your own strengths and progress and take breaks from it if needed let's continue I see a lot of people worry that they are not as good as others and it's hard for them to think in a positive way what do you think Leo everyone has strong points even if they're different from others some people are great at sports others are creative or maybe you're good at solving problems it's important to recognize your own strengths and focus on
developing them if you're good at writing but not great at speaking English don't feel bad about your speaking focus on getting better at writing first that's a great example you don't have to be good at everything you just need to focus on what you're naturally good at and what makes you happy yes and it's okay if your strengths are different from others maybe your friend is great at public speaking but you're really good at organizing and planning they are both valuable skills when you become more confident you can also start to get better at speaking
this will help you stop looking at others and feel good about what you can do have you ever thought about celebrating your own Journey a lot of us feel like we're not doing enough it's because we only think about the final goal like learning English finishing school or getting a job but the small things you do today are as important as the big ones later let's see one more example you've been practicing English for a few weeks now but you still feel like you're not good enough you might think I'll never speak English fluently but
if you look at your journey you might realize that you can understand simple sentences or say a few phrases that's progress and it's something to celebrate here's a practical tip every time you make even a little bit of progress give yourself a small reward it could be something simple like watching an episode of your favorite TV show or treating yourself to something you enjoy you can also write things in your notebook like I had a short talk in English today or I learned 10 new words this week every step forward counts no matter how small
now let's talk about how to appreciate other people's success without comparing yourself to them think about when you have a friend who is really good at speaking English instead of comparing yourself to them and feeling sad you can think wow they worked hard to get there maybe I can ask them for some tips on how to improve my speaking skills that's a great mindset someone else's success doesn't mean you're not successful too we're all on different paths and we can all succeed in our own ways moreover everyone moves at their own speed it's okay if
you take longer to reach your goals than your friend other people's successes don't take away from yours there's enough success for everyone supporting others can also make you feel good and motivated it's a win-win in now let's talk about something that can really help us feel better it's accepting yourself when you practice it you can recognize that you are enough just as you are you don't need to be perfect or like someone else to be valuable a great way to practice it is through taking a few moments each day to focus on your breathing this
can help you let go of negative feelings and focus on the present yes studies show that it can reduce stress and improve mental health when you accept yourself you stop comparing and feel happier so remember you don't have to be like anyone else you are enough and your journey is unique valuable definition something that is important or useful example both public speaking and organizing are valuable skills sell celebrate definition to show happiness for something good that has happened example you should celebrate your own journey and achievements mindset definition the way you think about something example
having a positive mindset can help you appreciate your own progress path definition an action or a direction in life that a person chooses to follow example we can all succeed in our own path unique definition being the only one of its kind example everyone's journey is unique let's continue practicing with the next two questions what is meant by strong points can you give an example strong points are the skills or traits that someone is really good at for example being good at writing or being a great leader what does the podcast say about the importance
of supporting others helping others makes a positive space where people want to work together it helps build friendships and makes everyone feel important so it is the end of our discussion today remember stop comparing yourself focus on your own progress and celebrate your journey you're doing great thank you everyone for listening we hope this episode helped you learn some new English phrases as well as some useful tips for your life and if you have any questions or topics you'd like us to explore send us a message don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with
your friends see you next time [Music]
