The Dangers of Comparative Suffering & How It’s Holding You Back

Episode 26. Comparative suffering is the act of ranking our pain against others' pain. For example, someone who is going through a tough breakup might see their pain as worse than someone who is stressed about getting a bad grade in a class, but less bad compared to someone experiencing poverty and homelessness. I'll say it right away: comparative suffering does not benefit anyone. In this episode we are going to delve into why that is and what to do instead. This also relates to our topic for next week which is all about why and how sharing our stories is so powerful. Comparative suffering is often a major barrier to doing so. Let's dive in! Want to get some background on what this podcast is ALL about? Check out the Foundational Episodes of the Motivation Made Podcast here! Introduction: What is this podcast all about?Episode 1: Want to Get & Stay Motivated? A Crash Course on Motivation, Weight Loss, and HealthEpisode 2: How Dieting Steals Our MotivationEpisode 3: How To Get Motivated To Improve Your Health (Motivation 101)Episode 4: How to Transform Health Fears Into Forward Progress What is Comparative Suffering? Comparative suffering is all about evaluating our current pain against others and deciding which one ranks higher and therefore is more "deserving" of being felt. Have you ever said: "But so many people have it worse than me, I feel bad for even mentioning it." "I feel like I'm just whining and complaining." "I have it so good in the grand scheme of things, I should just be grateful." I get it. I did this all the time in the past. A LOT. I STILL do it, and frankly, I'm actively working on this. Just this past week I realized how much shame I had about my frustration with my core muscles after childbirth. But my immense shame came from the fact that I know some women cannot have children even when they desperately want to. Even as I write this, I feel the need to justify to you all, my listeners, how incredibly grateful I am for my children and how I'd take a lifetime o