Do not underestimate yourself by comparing yourself with others. It’s our differences that make us unique & beautiful.
-unknown
We are human. It’s our nature to want to fit in.
The other week, while I was seeing a client she mentioned that she often finds herself comparing to her best girl friend. They are both skilled and fit volleyball players. Each beautiful, athletic and strong.
My clients, notes that she has always been the “injured friend” and her professional volleyball career was cut short by series of injuries. Her best friend continues to play professionally and maintains a very fit physique. My client is proud of her fitness and activity level; however she does not feel 100% confident in her body because she’s noticed changes and also notes the difference between her body and her friends.
Now the question is how do we deal with it?
This feeling of jealousy, wanting or regretting the loss of what we used to have is often overwhelming and can over-shadow all the achievements that we can be happy and proud of.
There’s a yoga term for letting go or more specifically finding contentment: Santosha. When we let go of the wanting and accept what we have, that feeling of being completely comfortable and satisfied comes in.
In yoga, when we step onto the mat we are trained to let go of the outside world and be in that moment…perfect and peaceful. Then we are trained to check in with our breath and the body and notice what’s going on in our minds. After that, the goal is to let it go and stay present doing yoga or meditating because there’s nowhere else that you can be or should be.
There will be plenty of wanting or not wanting in this life. The trick is to keep bringing yourself back to the present, to the breath and enjoy any peace that you can find in each moment.
Food for thought:
“Be content with what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” -Lao Tzu
(I keep having to remind myself of this when I step outside and it’s still below freezing!)
