What To Do When You’re Feeling Behind In Life

Let’s log onto Facebook, shall we? What do we see?

Karla and Mark are engaged.
Jessica just got a promotion!
Kim and Roger announced they’re having a boy.
Erika is moving to New York City.
Trevor just bought a brand new Mercedes.

We live in the digital age where we are participating in a daily high school reunion. We see the highlight reels of people we went to school with, people we don’t even know but admire, and those we’ve never particularly liked but felt obligated to accept their friend request. Whether it’s through Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram, we’re seeing it on the regular. It’s human nature to feel like maybe you went down the wrong path or that you aren’t quite at the level of your peers.

I know I’ve felt it a lot lately. I’m currently freelancing and I’m unsure of where I will be or what job I’ll have in a month from now and it scares the crap out of me. I’m constantly feeling like I’m not where I should be. Life isn’t how I pictured it to be at 24. Time keeps ticking and sometimes I feel like I haven’t moved. If I let it, the feeling can really get me in a slump. Here’s some tips that I’ve found to help me get past that overwhelming feeling of being behind in life.

Know that you’re not alone

We all feel this way in one way or another. Maybe our career is going well, but we’re struggling to find the love of our lives. We all want something that we probably thought we’d have by now (even the people who seem to have it all!) There’s comfort in knowing that we’re all in this together.

Try to stop comparing

“I will not reason and compare. My business is to create.” – William Blake

It’s hard not to compare ourselves to others when we’re compared to people all the time: for getting the position, for getting into college, for making the team, etc. We’re constantly compared by others. Sports are based purely on competition. But comparison can tear you apart if you let it.

This is going to sound way too cheesy, but we are special. The coolest thing about us is that we’re not exactly like anyone else. Our paths are different for a reason. It doesn’t make us any better or worse than anyone else to go at a different pace.

If Instagram and Facebook constantly make you compare yourself, take a break from those accounts. Spend more time worrying about bettering yourself than what other people are doing. Playing the comparison game is a waste of time and doesn’t serve you.

Do the best you can

We’re all dealt different cards. Do the best you can with what you’ve been given. Sometimes we have to take detours, because the Universe can send us curve balls that we could have never expected. As unlucky as we may feel, we can choose to do the best we can with what we’ve been given. We always have the choice to choose to be positive. But, we don’t always have the luxury of things coming easy to us.

Know that you are where you are meant to be

Trust the timing of your life. Have faith that there’s a reason that you went down the path that you did. Sometimes we need to go down a different path to get to where we want to end up. Detours are great for both road trips and in life. Sometimes the unexpected detours are the best parts. Life gets in the way of our big plans sometimes, but that’s okay. If you believe that you’re where you’re supposed to be right now, it’s easier to accept it. You’re learning lessons every day. You’re preparing for where you want to be. This hard part is essential to your growth.

Realize how far you’ve come

Sometimes we feel like we’re staying still, when in fact, we’ve made incredible progress. Take some time to reflect and look at how far you’ve come. Where were you last year? Are you a better person spiritually? Sometimes I get down about little progress I feel I’ve made, but when I think back to last year, I realize that I have changed enormously. Give yourself some credit. When you are doing the best you can, you have a lot to be proud of yourself for.

The feeling of being behind will probably still creep up on you from time to time, but remember that the most important thing is that you’re working to be the best version of yourself and that can take time.