It's a general advice we get not to compare.

I for one do not agree with this.

Sure, don't dwell on the differences between you and people who have more .. of whatever, or do better at .. whatever.

We're all on our own journeys.

Don't make anyone feel as if they're not good enough compared with .. 

Like, don't compare your kid's grades with another's.

But I also think comparing is a secret for feeling better.

For example, I was in an anxiety group some time ago, and all those people were talking about all sort of meds, and all kind of pains, lamenting all day, every day. 

I felt relief to see my worrying state of mind at the moment had much less of an impact on my daily life. I felt like anxiety was not actually such a big problem for me. And guess what? That reduced my anxiety :))

And I remember when feeling down, my mom always used to think of people who had less and still managed. She compared, but only for her own good.

Or we can compare to find similarities and feel more connected, like the image bellow says.

So I think we should compare.

When it helps.