Comparison is a basic function, so resolving to stop rarely works. What you compare against, upward comparison, chasing reactions and moving your standard.
Without an objective measure of whether you are doing well, people use those around them as the standard. This is not a flaw but a long-standing way of locating yourself. The problem is not comparison itself but that the pool of comparisons became unlimited, and that those comparisons are edited to look better than they are. Where the comparison pool was once a few people nearby, countless people beyond the screen now occupy that place.
A feed shows not someone's whole life but a summary of their best moments. About yourself, you know the boring stretches, the failures and the anxiety. Comparing an edited summary with an unedited whole has a predetermined result. Knowing this does not switch off the feeling, so regulating how much you look is the practical route.
Looking at people doing better can supply something to learn or can make you diminish yourself. What separates the two is whether the gap feels closeable. When the method is visible it motivates; when it feels unreachable, only self-evaluation drops. Even looking at the same person, the gap feels larger when you are worn out, so on bad days it is better to see less of what invites comparison.
Wanting recognition from others is a natural drive in a social animal. It is not a feeling to eliminate. It becomes hard to manage when that recognition is the only standard by which you evaluate yourself. If the count of reactions decides the mood of your day, the standard has moved entirely outside you. Equally, not caring at all about others' reactions need not be the goal. Having outside reactions alongside your own standard is the realistic balance.
If you find yourself checking reactions again and again after posting, the checking itself is likely feeding the anxiety. Each check brings brief relief or disappointment, and that swing prompts the next check. This loop is easier to break by changing the environment than by willpower.
A strong need for recognition makes it hard to refuse, so you easily end up taking on requests you do not want. You also start folding away your own opinion in advance in case someone is disappointed. At first relationships look smooth, but over time fatigue and resentment build. Saying 'I cannot this time' to a small request now and then shows you that relationships do not collapse as easily as you feared. The more of that experience you gather, the less tightly you are bound to others' reactions.
Removing comparison is difficult, but changing its target is not. Comparing with yourself a few months ago uses the same function against a reachable standard. Writing down in advance what you consider important also stops every area where others excel from becoming your standard. Reducing viewing time remains the most direct method.
You cannot control recognition from outside, but you can practise the habit of recognising yourself. Something small is enough, such as writing down three things you did at the end of the day regardless of outcome. Recording effort made where no one sees it gives you grounds to evaluate yourself even when there is no reaction. This article is not a test or diagnosis of your tendencies. If comparison and self-criticism persist to the point of low mood or difficulty with daily life, it is worth seeking help from a mental health professional or counsellor.