It’s easy to get caught up comparing yourself to other people. In some cases, comparison can be a tool for self-improvement. 

For example, you see that someone you know has gone on to get an advanced degree, so this motivates you to put more effort into your own schooling. 

But comparing yourself to others can also damage your self-confidence and overall mental health. Comparison often brings with it feelings of inferiority. 

When you’re constantly comparing yourself, you can even put yourself at risk of depression.

When we compare ourselves to others, it’s usually with people we know: our family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. And the comparisons we feel most acutely typically have to with our insecurities. This could be appearance, relationships, wealth, professional achievement, goals, or something more specific.

Comparison impact mental health

Everyone compares themselves, but some people are at higher risk of negative social comparison than others. 

Studies show that people who frequently compare themselves to others are more likely to feel envy, regret, guilt, and defensiveness. 

Negative social comparison typically goes hand-in-hand with low self-esteem. Logically, people with low self-esteem are more likely to feel that they don’t measure up, leading to negative social comparison, which in turn brings their self-esteem even lower. 

Nothing positive or productive can come from self-diminishing social comparison. 

Studies show that people who frequently compare themselves to others are more likely to feel envy, regret, guilt, and defensiveness. 

They are also more likely to lie, deflect blame, and behave destructively. Overall, people who make a lot of negative social comparisons are less happy than those who avoid this behavior. 

Social comparisons can decrease a person’s feeling of well-being. 

There is a proven connection between high levels of comparison and low levels of self-esteem, as well as depression and neuroticism. 

Social media isn’t helping

Unfortunately, social media appears to demand us to compare ourselves with others. 

Negative social comparison can seem impossible to avoid on social media, as it gives you a highlight reel of other people’s relationships, family life, and seemingly picture-perfect lives. 

Studies show that time spent on Facebook can bring on feelings of depression and loneliness, especially among adolescents who tend to compare themselves more than any other age group. 

One of the issues with social media is that people only share a portion of their lives to the public, and may leave out some of their more negative experiences.

Negative social comparison can seem impossible to avoid on social media, as it gives you a highlight reel of other people’s relationships, family life, and seemingly picture-perfect lives. 

When you find that social media is pulling you into a damaging pattern of social comparison, it is important to disengage. Given the nature of social media, sometimes the only way to break from the cycle of its negative mental health effects is to log off and take a break. 

Remember, people who are less-inclined to compare themselves with others tend to be happier and more well-adjusted. Oftentimes, these are the same people who have low or nonexistent levels of social media use.

Managing social comparison

When we’re struggling with comparison, we’re outsourcing our value and worth. Often comparison happens because we feel the need to measure how we’re doing. Essentially, what we’re doing when we compare ourselves to others is asking, “Am I enough? Am I doing enough? Am I doing enough well?” 

When we use our perception of others to answer those questions, we’re outsourcing our measure of success or happiness, rather than using our own values to measure these things for ourselves.

When it comes to comparing yourself, whether it’s in reality or on social media, a healthier approach is to try and see other people’s positive qualities or accomplishments as motivation.

Think about who you routinely compare yourself to. Now, ask yourself if this comparison can provide a useful benchmark for you. Does it give you insight into how you can do something better? What about this comparison can serve as a source of inspiration?

Again, social comparison is an innate psychological tendency. So, it might be impossible to stop it completely. But, one great way to manage negative social comparison and its bad mental health effects is to practice gratitude daily. Reminding yourself of what you have and being grateful for those things can lessen feelings of inferiority. 

So, the next time you find yourself comparing your life to someone else’s, take a moment to think of all the things you’re grateful for. 

Live fast, die young? No thanks. 

Not surprisingly, most of us are interested in living longer than the typical average. In the U.S., the average life expectancy is 81 years for women and 77 years for men. When asked how long they’d like to live, 63% of U.S. adults answered longer than the average life expectancy, 29% answered about that long, and only 6% answered less than that.

What’s the key to a long life? There’s no guaranteed method. But, here are 7 healthy habits that experts say will give you a good shot at a long, healthy life..

Avoid overeating

Overeating can result in excess body weight and belly fat, which left unchecked can lead to obesity. Obesity is clearly linked with shorter lifespans and increased likelihood of disease. 

That said, in your effort to not overeat, be sure not to undereat either. Insufficient calorie intake can result in malnutrition, increase fatigue, lower body temperature, and diminish sex drive.

Try turmeric

Curcumin, the main bioactive compound in turmeric, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can help maintain brain, heart, and lung function, as well as guard against age-related disease. Very popular in India, it has been consumed there for thousands of years.

Eat more plant-based foods

Many studies link a plant-rich diet to a reduced risk of premature death, as well as lower risk of cancer, metabolic syndrome, heart problems, depression and brain deterioration. 

This is because plant foods are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Plant foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans.

Stay active

People who exercise more than 150 minutes per week are 35% less likely to suffer a premature death. But, as little as 15 minutes of exercise each day can add an additional 3 years to your life!

No smoking

Smoking is scientifically proven to increase the risk of disease and early death. 

People who smoke are 3 times more likely to die prematurely than those who don’t, and can lose up to 10 years of their lives from smoking. 

If you quit smoking by the time you’re 35 years old you can prolong your life up to 8.5 years. Even if you don’t quit until your 60s, you could still add up to 3.7 years onto your life by quitting!

Limit alcohol consumption

Heavy alcohol intake is linked to liver disease and heart disease, as well as pancreatic disease and risk of premature death. 

Limiting your consumption of alcohol, or not consuming it at all, can prevent these consequences of heavy drinking.

Sleep regularly

Finally, sleep is necessary in order for your body to regulate cell function. Going to bed and waking up around the same time each day can increase your longevity. In fact, more recent research indicates that quality sleep may be the key to a long life. Matt Walker, a leading sleep scientist, has called sleep the “elixir of life”.

Note that 8–9 hours of sleep is the recommended amount of sleep a night for the average person. 

Too little sleep or infrequent sleep can lead to inflammation and increase risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. 

Too much sleep can be a symptom of depression or a sign of undiagnosed health issues.

Want more healthy habits?

Check out our blog, “10 Healthy Habits for a Healthy Lifestyle”.

In 2018, an international group of researchers led by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health published a study calculating how much longer you can live with a healthy lifestyle. 

For women, healthy habits could increase life expectancy by 14 years. For men, life expectancy could be increased by 12 years!

In terms of nutrition, the study recommended eating a diet high in plants and low in fats, not smoking, and consuming no more than one alcoholic drink a day if you’re a woman and two if you’re a man. 

Long term effects of poor nutrition

Poor nutrition is one of the four main risk factors alongside tobacco use, lack of exercise, and excessive alcohol consumption for preventable chronic diseases. 

Yet, fewer than 1 in 10 U.S. adults eat fruits and vegetables, while 5 in 10 adults consume a sugary drink on a given day.

Quality nutrition is essential for keeping people healthy across the lifespan. Diets high in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats are highly common as well as highly unhealthy. Such diets also heighten the risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Obesity, one of the primary effects of poor nutrition, is often the gateway to these other negative health outcomes. Obesity is associated with at least 13 types of cancer and these cancers make up 40% of all cancers diagnosed. Looking at it this way, it makes sense that obesity costs the U.S. healthcare system $147 billion a year.

Diets high in sodium and cholesterol can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke. Americans consume more than 3,400 mg of sodium a day on average. Current guidelines, however, recommend getting less than 2,300 mg a day. 

Long term effects of good nutrition

On the flip side, eating foods low in saturated fats and sodium and high in fiber can help prevent high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure–and, in doing so, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Adults who maintain a healthy diet live longer and with a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. Healthy eating can also help people with chronic diseases manage these conditions and puts them at less risk of complications.

The benefits of good nutrition don’t stop there. Here’s a whole list of the positive physical and mental health outcomes of a well-balanced diet:

• Consistent energy through the day
• Improved mood
• Increased physical performance and focus
• Better sleep
• Increased self-care
• Healthier skin
• Improved mental performance and memory
• Fewer unhealthy (junk food) cravings
• Better digestion
• Healthy weight
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Managed blood sugar
• Healthy teeth and gums
• Reduced inflammation

What makes for good nutrition? 

Clearly there are plenty of short and long term benefits to quality nutrition. But, what exactly is a nutritious diet? There’s lots of ways to eat healthy, depending on your diet preferences (Vegetarian? Pescetarian? Keto?). That said, here are some pointers.

A nutritious diet includes…

1. Vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale
2. Nuts, like almonds and walnuts
3. Fruits, like apples and oranges
4. Fatty fish, like salmon and tuna
5. Lots of water!

A nutritious diet does not include…

1. Refined carbohydrates, like white bread
2. Fried food, like french fries
3. Soda and other sugary drinks (Tip: if you’re a soda drinker, replace soda with naturally-flavored seltzer water!)
4. Highly-processed meat, like hot dogs
5. Margarine (Tip: use olive oil instead for cooking)

Changing your eating habits will be a challenge, but as you now understand, it can have a significant impact on not only your lifespan, but your quality of life as well.

So, invest now in your future happiness and make adopting healthy eating habits a priority. Remember, a little goes a long way.

Whether it’s at home, the office, or driving our cars, today we spend up to 90% of our time indoors.

Especially during the time of Covid-19, more of us have been spending more time indoors than ever before—perhaps up to 100% of it! Unfortunately, so much time indoors goes against our evolutionary programming and has consequential implications for our health and wellness.

Our health is determined by how we behave, and how we behave is influenced by our physical environment. Sound, light, temperature, air and water are all essential life elements that determine the quality of our health and well-being. 

Unlike healthy behaviors such as exercise that require active engagement, our relationship with these elements is intuitive. 

Nowadays, our access to these elements is determined by what combination of them is available in our indoor spaces. In other words, our indoor environments determine what sound, light, temperature, air and water we get and, by extent, our long-term health.

The importance of good lighting

More than just something to make a room brighter, lighting is actually a tool we can use to improve our productivity, energy and focus.

Good lighting is important for everyone to support optimal functioning. Mood, sleep, and metabolism can all be improved by good lighting. Particularly during the darker, winter months, when necessary exposure to sunlight is hard to come by, good indoor lighting can help us maintain healthy circadian rhythms. 

Humans evolved under the sun, so it’s natural that the move indoors would disrupt some of our health programming. The circadian rhythm is the body’s natural programming to function on a cycle matching the solar day. It governs many aspects of our physiology, metabolism, and behavior. Daily, regularly-timed exposure to light helps us maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.

Daytime light exposure can boost how you function and feel during the day, as well as help you achieve a more restful and restorative sleep at night. 

That said, keep the lighting to a minimum at night. While bright light is good for us during the day, the opposite is true at night as it can be disruptive to your circadian rhythm. If you’re working at night, opt for dimmer lighting and switch the blue-light off your devices.

Beware of indoor air quality

When you think of pollution, you probably think of the air outdoors. But, indoor air can carry pollutants as well.

Pollution has been linked to a wide array of respiratory problems as well as the development of chronic conditions, among other negative health outcomes.

This means that it’s important to make sure the air you’re breathing at home is as healthy as possible. Improved indoor air quality promotes health and well-being, while reducing the risk of respiratory issues.

To ensure better air quality at home, it is important to make sure that your space does not lack fresh air. This can be done via a mechanical ventilation system or naturally, through keeping an open window or door. Keeping fresh air in your home prevents your air from having too high of a CO2 level.

Air purifiers can also help ensure your air is kept free from pollutants. Also useful are indoor air quality sensors which are able to measure pollutant levels in your air, so that you know when it’s necessary to let fresh air in.

We all need safe drinking water

Humans need water to live. But, water can also contain a range of pollutants and microorganisms that can negatively affect health in a wide variety of ways, from gastrointestinal  problems to cancer.

For people in the United States, requirements established by the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) set protective standards that limit the presence of certain harmful contaminants in drinking water, making drinking water in the U.S. among the safest in the world.

Ensuring that the water we use and consume is safe and clean involves reducing the levels of contaminants at both point-of-entry and point-of-use.

Want to make your indoor space healthier?

Check out this blog.