3 Reasons LinkedIn Makes You Feel Inferior, And What To Do

Let’s be honest: scrolling through LinkedIn can feel like walking into a never-ending award ceremony where you’re not just underdressed—you weren’t even invited.

One person just got promoted. Another launched a company. Someone else is off speaking at a global summit while you’re just trying to get through your inbox.

You might close the app feeling behind, unaccomplished, and quietly wondering if you’re doing enough with your life.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. LinkedIn, for all its networking potential, has a way of triggering self-doubt—especially when success is constantly on display.

But here’s the thing: the way LinkedIn makes you feel isn’t necessarily about you being behind. It’s more about how the platform works and how we engage with it.

Let’s break it down—why LinkedIn can make you feel inferior, and how to stop letting it.

1. It’s a Highlight Reel, Not Real Life

LinkedIn posts are curated, polished, and carefully framed for professional impact. People share what makes them look competent, ambitious, or impressive. And that’s understandable—it’s a professional platform, after all.

But here’s where it messes with your head: it creates a warped version of reality. You’re seeing everyone else’s career wins, announcements, and milestones, without the full picture—like the struggles they faced to get there, the rejection emails, the burnout, or the doubt they felt along the way.

You compare your full, messy life to their carefully edited snapshots, and of course you feel behind.

What to do instead:
Remind yourself that LinkedIn is not a diary—it’s a pitch deck. No one’s going to post, “Didn’t get the job and cried in the bathroom,” even though that happens far more often than a promotion announcement. When you catch yourself comparing, try flipping the script: would you want to trade your real life—with all its nuance—for someone else’s LinkedIn profile?

Also, consider curating your feed. You can unfollow (not unconnect) people whose posts consistently make you feel inadequate. Protect your mental space.

2. Success Is Measured Narrowly—and It’s Easy to Forget That

On LinkedIn, success often looks like this: promotions, raises, titles, new jobs, side hustles, speaking gigs, funding rounds. And while those are all legitimate accomplishments, they’re not the only ones that matter.

What doesn’t usually get posted? Quiet progress. Personal growth. Choosing to take a break. Setting boundaries. Staying in a role that fits your life even if it’s not flashy. Those things rarely go viral, but they’re just as valid.

LinkedIn tends to reward visible, measurable, traditional wins—and if your life isn’t aligning with that, it’s easy to feel like you’re not achieving enough.

What to do instead:

Define success on your terms. What season of life are you in? What actually matters to you right now? Maybe it’s not “climbing the ladder” but building stability. Maybe it’s not launching a startup but reclaiming your time. Your goals don’t need to be LinkedIn-approved to be meaningful.

Try journaling or making a private “achievement list” that includes things you’re proud of—regardless of whether they’d make a good LinkedIn post.

3. The Comparison Trap Is Built In

LinkedIn thrives on visibility. It’s designed to show you who’s doing what—and who’s doing it better, faster, louder.

Unlike platforms like Instagram, where you might follow mostly friends or hobbies, LinkedIn is all about careers—and your connections are often people you’ve worked with, went to school with, or once competed against.

That context makes comparison more intense. If someone from your graduating class just became a VP or raised millions for their startup, you don’t just see their success—you see what you haven’t done.

And because LinkedIn is career-focused, that comparison can hit where it hurts: your sense of competence, value, and direction.

What to do instead:

Catch yourself in the act. When you notice that pit-in-your-stomach feeling, pause and ask: “What am I making this mean about me?” Usually, it’s something like: “They’re doing better, so I must be failing.”

Once you name that thought, you can challenge it. Because the truth is, someone else’s path says nothing about yours. Their success doesn’t diminish your potential.

Also, keep in mind: you only see the results, not the effort or circumstances behind them. You have no idea what advantages they had—or what trade-offs they made to get there.

FAQs

Is LinkedIn bad for mental health?

Not inherently. Like any platform, it depends on how you use it. If you’re mindlessly scrolling and constantly comparing, it can hurt your self-esteem.

But if you engage intentionally—by networking, learning, or sharing authentically—it can be a useful tool.

Should I stop using LinkedIn altogether?

Not necessarily. You don’t have to go nuclear. You might just need to change how (and why) you use it.

Try setting time limits, curating your feed, or using it with a specific goal in mind (like finding job leads or connecting with peers).

How do I post on LinkedIn without feeling like I’m bragging?

It helps to focus on value. Instead of just announcing an achievement, share what you learned, what it meant to you, or how it might help someone else. That way, you’re not just self-promoting—you’re contributing something thoughtful to the conversation.

Final Thoughts

LinkedIn is a tool—and like any tool, it can help or hurt depending on how you use it. If it’s making you feel inferior, that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It just means you’re human.

The next time you feel that familiar sting while scrolling, take a breath. Zoom out. Remember that your journey is allowed to look different—and that it’s still valid, even if it doesn’t come with a title change or a press release.

So here’s the question I’ll leave you with: If no one was watching—no followers, no updates, no audience—what would your version of success actually look like?