It’s time to stop doomscrolling on LinkedIn
Conquer promotion envy and title jealousy for good
I promised myself today would be different.
But by 8:13 AM, I was back on LinkedIn. Scrolling, comparing… spiraling.
Another promotion post accompanied by those familiar streamers. Another title bump I hadn’t noticed. Another smiling headshot with 87 congratulatory comments.
I felt that sharp, sickening gut-punch.
It wasn’t that I hated them, these are my friends and colleagues. I just hated how their wins made me feel. What did they have that I didn’t? A better manager? Better timing? Better politics? Or maybe… were they just better?
I knew the ritual. I'd close the app, swear off LinkedIn forever, and stare blankly at my own job title like it wasn’t enough.
People say “comparison is the thief of joy,” but no one tells you how to stop. I didn’t want to feel this way. I wanted out. But every time I tried to pull myself free, the algorithm knew exactly how to pull me back in.
Until one conversation snapped everything into focus. It was only after this conversation that I put doomscrolling and workplace envy in the rearview mirror.
SEEKER: Last week, I saw an old colleague on LinkedIn with a new job, big title, and endless praise in the comments. I felt my stomach twist. I told myself I should be happy for them, but all I could think was: Why not me? What did they do that I didn’t? It ate at me all day. How do I escape this?
SAGE: Tell me, when you feel envy, what do you think it says about you?
SEEKER: It says I’m not enough. That I’m lacking something they have. Talent, luck, whatever it is. I hate feeling this way, but I can’t stop.
SAGE: I see. You’re measuring yourself against them. Do you think this comparison is inevitable, something we’re doomed to do?
SEEKER: Isn’t it? We live in a world of rankings… wealth, status, achievements. How can I not compare?
SAGE: A fair question. Perhaps comparison isn’t the problem, it’s the meaning you give it. What if we’re not bound by what others have or do. Envy is a sign you’re living in a “vertical” mindset. What do you think that might mean?
SEEKER: Vertical… like a ladder? Where some are above and others below?
SAGE: Exactly. We often see life as a hierarchy. Someone’s always “better” or “worse.” But taking a “horizontal” view we imagine people not above or below us, but beside us, each on our own path. Does that shift anything for you?
SEEKER: It sounds nice, but I don’t feel it. When my friend gets promoted and I don’t, he’s ahead. That’s real, not just a mindset.
SAGE: Even if we embrace a horizontal view, the pain of seeing others succeed can linger. But what if that pain isn’t a sign of our inferiority? What if it’s a clue? Could it point not to their success, but to something unresolved in your own path?
SEEKER: Umm… possibly.
SAGE: Well let’s explore it. Is your friend’s promotion truly about you? Does it diminish your worth, or is it his story, separate from yours?
SEEKER: It’s his story, sure, but it stings because I wanted that too. I feel stuck while he moves forward.
SAGE: I hear you. But what if that sting comes from a story you tell yourself to avoid your own tasks. What task might you be dodging by focusing on his success?
SEEKER: Task? You mean work? I’m trying my best!
SAGE: Not just work, your task of living. Life is a series of personal challenges we each must face, not in competition, but for our own growth. Envy might be a distraction from asking: What’s my next step? What can I create?
SEEKER: So you’re saying I’m choosing envy to avoid… but avoid what? Taking responsibility for myself?
SAGE: Yes, if you try and fail you’ll learn that you’re not capable. If you don’t try, you can always convince yourself that you are capable. What do you think? If you weren’t looking at your friend’s path, where might your eyes turn?
SEEKER: Maybe to what I could do. But what if I fail? What if I’m not as good as him?
SAGE: So what if you fail? Failure isn’t a measure of worth, it’s a moment that passes. Sure envy keeps you safe from that risk, but also from growth. You’ll learn more about your capabilities and be able to move on, rather than being stuck. Could you bear to let go of being “the best” and just be you?
SEEKER: It’s hard. I want to be special, not ordinary.
SAGE: And there’s the trap. Some believe true freedom comes when we accept our “ordinariness.” Not as defeat, but as liberation. No need to prove anything to anyone. If you weren’t chasing “specialness,” what might you do instead?
SEEKER: I… I might put my efforts into building my career. Not to go down the same path as my friend, but to work on problems I enjoy solving. Not to beat anyone, but because I enjoy it, and because I’ll be working on something I’m good at, and enjoy.
SAGE: Beautiful. That’s called contribution. You live your task, not your work friends. Not anyone else’s. Envy fades when you see your worth isn’t tied to others, it’s in what you give. How does that feel?
SEEKER: Scary, but lighter. Like I could start doing things my way. On my own path.
SAGE: Those are your first steps. Envy is a signal, not a sentence. Next time you start comparing yourself to others, imagine your 80-year-old self shaking their head: would they tell you to waste your time on envy, or use it to build the career you really want?
If this made you think of a friend or teammate, hit forward and pass it on. It only takes 10 seconds and it might be exactly what they need today.