Your cousin just got engaged, your coworker landed that promotion you wanted, and your school friend is posting from her third vacation this year.
Meanwhile, you’re eating Indomie for the fourth time this week because groceries are expensive and wondering where you went wrong in life.
Sound familiar? Welcome to the comparison trap – and trust us, we’ve all been there.
Why We’re All Losing Our Minds on Social Media
Look, we get it. You open Instagram and BAM – someone’s getting married in Gouna, someone else just bought a car, and your ex is apparently thriving in Dubai.
Suddenly, your life feels like a bad soap opera where you’re the side character nobody cares about.
Here’s why this hits different for us:
The Family WhatsApp Group Factor:
Your mom’s already shoving pictures of that cousin’s engagement in your face and dropping hints that you should be next, while also guilt-tripping you that it’s not you.
Nothing like family pressure to make you question every life choice you’ve ever made.
The Economy Reality Check:
Seeing people your age buying apartments while you’re still with your family, or splitting rent with three roommates because a studio in New Cairo costs your entire soul?
Yeah, that stings differently when you know they’re probably getting family money or working abroad.
The “Everyone’s Leaving” FOMO:
Half your friends moved to Canada, the other half are in the Gulf, and you’re still here trying to make it work.
The grass isn’t just greener – it’s in a completely different currency.
Why This Is Messing with Your Head
This constant measuring contest is killing your vibe, and here’s how:
You’re celebrating other people’s wins instead of your own.
That raise you got? It doesn’t matter because Sarah just got promoted to regional manager.
You finally moved out of your parents’ house? Who cares, cause Ahmed bought a whole villa in Marassy.
Plus, nobody’s posting their failures on the family story.
You won’t see the breakup that happened before the engagement, the debt behind that new car, or the homesickness that comes with that Dubai job.
How to Stop Driving Yourself Crazy
Clean Up Your Digital Space
You know that girl from school who only posts about her perfect life abroad? Mute her.
Unfollow the accounts that make you feel bad about living here.
Your mental health is worth more than staying updated on people who peaked in high school.
Remember What You’ve Actually Accomplished, Even The Small Things
You survived Cairo traffic daily and still have your sanity? That’s an achievement.
You’re building a career in this economy? Legend behavior.
You learned how to be an adult while your mom still calls you every hour? Give yourself some credit.
Get Real About Social Media
That couple posting cute photos probably had a fight right after the camera stopped rolling.
That perfect job abroad comes with visa stress and missing your mom’s cooking.
Everyone’s struggling with something – they’re just not hashtagging it.
Focus on Your Own Journey
Maybe your timeline doesn’t match the typical “graduate, get engaged, buy apartment” checklist.
So what?
Your path might be taking you somewhere better. The best success stories are usually the ones that didn’t follow the script.
The Real Talk Section No One Wants to Admit
Comparison hits harder when everything feels harder here. The economy, the social expectations, the family pressure – it’s all intense.
But you’re still here, still trying, still building something. That’s not settling, that’s strength.
Your worth isn’t measured by how quickly you check off society’s boxes or how your life looks compared to your friends who left.
You’re writing your own story, and it doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be worth telling.
So next time you catch yourself spiraling because someone else seems to have it all figured out, remember what you’ve accomplished, and that their journey has nothing to do with yours.
Now close Instagram and go do something that makes YOU happy.
