People 'quarantine bragging' on social media could be hurting your mental health. Here are 3 ways to limit its impact.

You can't make people stop bragging about how productive they are or how much peace they feel when they're staying home. But you can take steps to limit the impact it has on you.

Here are some ways to stay mentally strong when you're subjected to quarantine braggarts:

• Limit your social media consumption. Spending less time on social media might be the most obvious answer. And it also might be the most effective. You can also unfollow people, mute them to stop seeing their posts, or hide their content (depending on which platform you're using). You'll feel better when you stop looking at posts that don't inspire, educate, or entertain you.

• Stop the unfair comparisons. Don't waste energy comparing how you feel about your life with what someone wants you to think about their life. Keep in mind that much of what you see on social media isn't an accurate portrayal of other people's lives anyway. And even if it's true that someone is enjoying more productivity or inner peace, it doesn't mean you're somehow falling short in life. Keep your eyes on your own path to success.

• Practice self-compassion. When you find yourself thinking you don't measure up or that you should be better, replace your self-criticism with self-compassion. Speak to yourself like a trusted friend. Remind yourself that there's no reason you have to be passionately motivated or wildly happy every moment of the day. Be kind to yourself when you're going through hard times.

Social media has the possibility to be good for your mental health when you're social distancing. After all, sharing, commenting, and interacting with others on the various platforms are a great way to stay connected when you're physically apart.

But of course, most people don't use social media just to socialize. Much of the time is spent passively scrolling and consuming media.

You likely don't need a study to explain how staring at pictures on social media can impact your brain. When you're feeling lonely, isolated, or stressed out, and you scroll through Instagram to discover that everyone around you looks happier, healthier, and wealthier, you're likely to compare your quarantine experience to theirs.

And as you may have guessed, you will probably feel bad about it. The research is clear — envying people on social media is directly linked to depression.

The more depressed you feel, the more likely you are to sit around and passively scroll through social media. It can create a vicious, negative cycle that's tough to break.

And this is true even during the best of times. Imagine how these issues could be compounded while you're struggling to deal with quarantine bragging?