Why Comparison is Stealing Your Body Confidence

 

Hey beautiful human!
You were feeling good… until one scroll on social media made you question everything about your body. Sound familiar?

Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, or even someone at the gym, comparison has a sneaky way of creeping in, stealing your joy, and convincing you you’re not doing enough. But here’s the truth: comparison doesn’t just mess with your mindset, it can actually mess with your metabolism too.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why comparison spirals hit so hard and how to break free so you can build real, lasting body confidence.

We’re getting into:

  • How comparison triggers your stress response (and affects your sleep, cravings, and results)

  • Why social media is designed to keep you feeling “behind”

  • 5 tools to protect your mental space and stay focused on your growth

  • How structured workouts and personalized nutrition help silence the noise

  • The one truth about social media that instantly takes away its power

If you’ve ever caught yourself feeling “less than” because of what someone else looks like online, this episode is your permission to step back and reconnect with your progress.

🎧 Want to go even deeper on this? Listen next to Episode 567: Why Your Brain Is Wired for Comparison & How to Unplug It

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

00:00

Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace your Real podcast.

00:36

Today, we're diving into a topic that I think so many of us struggle with, but don't always talk about it out loud, and that is comparison. Like, specifically, the comparison spiral that hits when you're scrolling on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or Pinterest, or even just seeing other women out and about, whether it's at the gym, the grocery store, whatever you know what I mean. Like you're feeling pretty good about yourself. Then you see someone else's highlight reel or perfect body shot and suddenly you're questioning everything about your own progress. Here's the thing Com doesn't just steal your joy, it steals your confidence, it steals your energy and even your results, and so in today's episode, I'm going to break down why comparison actually affects your body on a physiological level, how that comparison spiral is keeping you stuck in the very cycles that you want to break free from and, most importantly, five practical ways that you can protect your mental space so that you can focus on your own growth. We're just going to dive right in today's episode.

01:29

Number one is that comparison is more than just feeling bad. Here's what most people don't realize Comparison isn't just an emotional hit. It actually affects your body's stress response, Like when you scroll and you see someone else's progress photo. Your brain starts to send signals that you're behind or you're not enough, and that mental stress triggers a physical stress response. And that's when your body releases cortisol, which is your main stress hormone. Now, cortisol itself isn't evil. It helps you to respond to real stressors in your life. But when it's chronically elevated, like when you're constantly feeling less than on social media, it can mess with your sleep. It can spike your cravings, especially for those sugary, high carb foods. It can make fat loss harder because your body starts to hold on to energy, and it can slow recovery from workouts, meaning that you're going to have more fatigue and fewer strength gains. So if you've ever wondered why you're doing all the things but still not seeing results. It could be that comparison is literally keeping your body in a stressed out state that works against your goals.

02:31

Number two the scroll spiral is literally designed to keep you hooked. So social media platforms they are designed to keep you scrolling. The algorithm pushes content that triggers emotion, and comparison is a powerful trigger. You end up in this cycle. Like you scroll, you see someone else's body or life. You feel less than then, you feel like you need to do more, then you get overwhelmed and then you scroll again looking for answers. That spiral keeps you stuck because, instead of focusing on your consistency, your plan, your wins, your burning energy, measuring yourself against someone else's highlight reel and, let's be clear, the perfect body or the perfect life that you are comparing yourself to, that's likely face-tuned. It might be great lighting. It might be someone with a completely different lifestyle or genetics or season of life than you're in, and that's not a fair comparison. So how do we protect your mental space? Now that we know comparison is not just annoying, but it actually is harmful, let's talk about how to break free from it.

03:31

Here's five tools that you can start using today. Number one is curate your feed. So, if someone's content constantly makes you feel less than unfollow. Mute them. Fill your feed with accounts that educate or encourage, celebrate the women that you surround yourself with, even digitally, those influence how you see yourself on a day-to-day basis. Tool number two is just to set boundaries with your scroll time. Like instead of opening Instagram 20 times a day. Set intentional times. Maybe you check it in the morning, after you've had your journaling prayer or even just a few moments of just gratitude, but not right before bed. Maybe you do it at. You know you use app timers, like you have something that just reminds you. So whether that is setting Instagram and saying, okay, I have 25 minutes a day, and once that 25 minutes a day hits, if your phone is literally going to say you have, you know, five minutes left, and then it's going to stop you from using Instagram. The less that you scroll, the less chance you have of spiraling.

04:33

Tool number three is to anchor back into your own win. So I want you to keep a list in your notes app or even in a journal. I want you to really write down your progress so heavier weights that you've lifted, energy improvements, the times that you've chose fuel over restriction, and when you feel comparison creeping in. I want you to read that list. I want you to literally read through every single win. It's proof that you're growing, even if it doesn't look like someone else's highlight reel. I want you to remind yourself of the things that you are doing in your life not someone else's life, but your life.

05:09

Tool number four is affirmations. Now, these are great, to help you to ground yourself in respect right, instead of trying to force like toxic positivity, like I choose to love every inch of my body, like that you know on a daily basis is likely not gonna be true, but instead I want you to think about these quotes, these sayings that you can say, and that is I respect my body by fueling it, or I am proud of showing up today, or my progress is valid, even if it looks different Over time. These sayings, these affirmations, are literally going to rewire your thought patterns. And tool number five is to create accountability outside of social media. This is huge. When you only see a sense of comparing progress of photos online, you're going to be vulnerable.

06:00

But when you have structure, like a workout plan or a nutrition framework, or something that is off of line, right Off the social media, something that you are doing outside of social media that is going to allow you to stay focused on your lane. That's exactly why I created my two tools that I have. I have my Movement with Julie community and I have my Macro Academy and Simple Online Academy. The Movement with Julie community is going to give you dumbbell-only workouts that you can do on a weekly basis. All you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space, and then the Macro Accounting Made. Simple Online Academy is going to show you exactly how to fuel your body. So, instead of obsessing over what someone else eats, you actually learn what works for you. And both of these tools are going to help you keep your eyes on your own paper, and that's the best antidote to comparison.

06:48

Just remember that you are only seeing a snapshot. Here's the truth. Nobody posts their full reality. That woman whose core you might admire they might be struggling with gut issues. That person with the perfect legs they might hate how their arms look. We are all human and when you remember that social media is a snapshot, not the full story, it loses most of its power. You can appreciate someone else's highlight without making it a weapon against yourself. Let me say that again, you can appreciate someone else's highlight without making it a weapon against yourself.

07:19

All right, let's wrap it up. Comparison is sneaky, but it's stealing more than just your mood. It's messing with your hormones, your progress, your body confidence and your confidence in general. But you are not powerless. You can absolutely curate your feed. You can set scroll boundaries, you can anchor into your wins. You can use affirmations or just quotes or powerful sayings rooted in respect, and you can lean on tools that keep your focus on your own growth.

07:45

Remember that your worth is not measured against a stranger on the internet. Your worth is number one, dictated by how God tells you that you are, and you are beautiful and you are powerful, and he made you in your image. So, first and foremost, that is the most important thing. It's also so important that you just show up consistently. You give your body the respect that it deserves, day after day after day, and that's what will help you to build that confidence in your own life.

08:17

If you need support with that consistency again, that's exactly why I created my two tools my Movement with Julie community and my Macro Economy and Simple Online Academy With my Movement with Julie community. All you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. You don't have to guess what workout you do. You literally just open up the app. You pick the workout. You pick which workout you want to do, whether that's lower body, okay, do I have 30 or 60 minutes? I'm going to pick that. And then you literally just go. You just do it and the Macro Can I Read? Simple Online Academy. This is going to help you to understand how to finally fuel your body. It's going to take the confusion out of your nutrition how much your body needs in protein, carbs and fats so that your body can start to thrive without the extremes, without the guilt, because when you have structure in your workouts and you have clarity in your nutrition, you stop wasting energy on comparison and start building the body confidence that you've always been craving for.

09:10

If this episode hit home, I think you will also love episode 567, no-transcript. Taking time out of your day to listen to this. I appreciate you. I love you so dang much. I mean it. I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram. Be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle For that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.

 
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