The Psychology Behind Jealousy & How to Manage it

Jealousy is a natural human emotion, but when left unchecked, it can become problematic. It can have an extremely powerful impact on our mental health, anxiety, self-confidence and relationships. Jealousy can involve feelings of insecurity, envy, and resentment. It can be difficult to control jealousy, whether it is brought on by a romantic partner’s interest in someone else, a coworker’s achievement, a friend’s success or a sibling gaining more parental attention. In today’s blog post we’ll examine the psychology of jealousy and offer useful tips for dealing healthy with this powerful emotion.

Effects of Jealousy

Jealousy is a complex emotion that can have an impact on psychological as well as interpersonal factors:

–Low Self Esteem: Many a times, comparisons can lead to jealousy, and when we constantly compare ourselves to other, it can undermine our self-esteem.

–Change in Behaviour: We often try to cope with jealousy in unhealthy ways to distract ourselves. This leads to a change in behavior which can prove to be toxic/negative.

–Physical Health Problems: The stress generated due to jealousy can affect our physical health, such as, high blood pressure, weak immune system functioning etc.

–Impact on Relationships: Jealousy leads to conflicts, distancing, mistrust and can strain bonds.

–Impacts Life Satisfaction: Jealousy can also distract us from achieving goals, which impacts our overall life satisfaction.

How to Deal with Jealousy?

We can’t control jealousy as it is a normal human emotion (which can sometimes have a positive effect as well), but it is important to control our feelings and behaviours occurring due to jealousy.

–Acknowledge your feelings: Understand why you feel a certain way and let yourself accept that. Try to reflect on the root causes of your jealousy as it will help you respond to it accordingly.

–Write it down: When you write about your jealousy, you are able to get a balanced perspective about your feelings written in front of you. This way, you will be able to get your thoughts on the right track.

–Practice Empathy: Try to see the situation from the other person’s point of view. Understanding their feelings will eventually help you empathize and reduce jealousy

–Build your confidence: Believe in yourself and your abilities. Engage in self-care practices that make you feel good about yourself. This will help you regain your confidence.

–Personal Growth: Your sole aim should be to work on yourself and grow. Shift your focus from comparing the achievements of others to your own. Self-improvement and personal growth should be your main focus!

People can foster stronger relationships, increase self-esteem, and lead more rewarding lives by comprehending the psychology of jealousy and putting into practice appropriate management techniques. The goal should be to deal with jealousy in a healthy and thoughtful way, which eventually can help us lead a blissful life!