We will all agree that none of us like to feel jealous. However, it is a fairly common emotion that almost all of us will experience at some point in our lives. Furthermore, jealousy can appear in very different situations, such as in relationships, family or work environments, among others.
The problem with jealousy is not that it arises from time to time or that we have any thoughts about it in isolation; the problem appears when we do not control them and treat other people badly due to jealousy If you feel jealous from time to time, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a controlling or toxic partner. This would happen when you don’t know how to deal with jealousy and you let it guide your behavior.
Therefore, I think it is very important to learn to deal with jealousy in a healthy and adaptive way. Furthermore, feeling jealous hurts other people, but also ourselves, since it makes us not feel comfortable with ourselves, we have insecurities, etc.
The feeling of jealousy can arise when we think that our partner you feel attracted to another person or spend time with other people you feel comfortable with The situation can worsen when we feel that the other person is a threat, for example, because they have a better job than us or have a body that is socially viewed better.
Jealousy is a complicated emotion. It’s a combination of feeling insecure, overwhelmed, scared and lost. They usually arise when we feel envy and feel possession over another person, job or circumstance.
Jealousy usually manifests itself in the form of accusations, suspicions, questioning the other person’s behavior or their daily activities and compare themselves with others among others.
The person who feels jealous usually shows resentment, frustration, impatience, anger and general discomfort. Additionally, experiencing jealousy can cause anxiety symptoms.
Ways to deal with jealousy
Let’s now see 6 strategies to know how to deal with jealousy in the best possible way:
1. Responsibility for one’s own emotions
Taking responsibility for our emotions is essential Jealousy is our responsibility. Asking the other person to do something different so that we do not feel jealous is not taking responsibility, but rather putting the responsibility on the other person.
2. Think about what lies beneath jealousy
It is important that you can filter the sensations, images, feelings and thoughts that arise when we feel jealous We can reflect on what sensations, images, feelings and thoughts provoke jealousy. Does the current scenario remind me of any situation from my past? Does the image of my partner smiling at another person bring back an old feeling? The more we can connect these jealous emotions to the past events that created them in the first place, the better we can understand our current situation.
3. Feel the jealousy
Accepting and feeling our emotions with compassion is a necessary part of the process. Trying to avoid the feeling of jealousy will not make it decrease He will simply look for other ways to express himself.
It is possible to accept and acknowledge our jealousy without acting on it. You can learn tools to calm yourself before reacting, for example, you can take a walk or take deep breaths to avoid acting on impulse Acting impulsively can lead us to explode or punish someone we love.
5. Talk about it
When jealousy takes over, it is important to be able to express it in a healthy way. Share our emotions can help us stop ruminating about our jealousy Venting is okay, as long as it involves letting out our irrational thoughts and feelings, while recognizing that they are exaggerated and irrational.
6. Go to a psychologist
Many people go to therapy to work on topics related to problems in social relationships. There is nothing wrong with going to therapy to resolve feelings of jealousy and better understand where they come from.
Finally, I would like to tell you that if you realize that you cannot implement the above strategies, it does not mean that you are doing it wrong, it possibly means that you need professional help to learn to manage jealousy It is not an easy task and many people need to start a process of psychological therapy to understand where their jealousy comes from and implement strategies so that it does not appear.
