How to Overcome Jealousy

Everyone has felt jealous at some point in their life. Whether it was the neighbor's new car, a colleague's promotion or a buddy's new bicycle--we have all had a tinge of green envy. For most people, jealousy is a fleeting emotion that is part of life. However, in some cases, jealousy can damage a person's happiness and relationships. Follow these steps to begin to overcome jealousy in your own life.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Identify the cause of your jealousy. Resist the temptation to blame your feelings on others. Experts agree that in most cases, jealousy is a result of your own insecurity rather than the actions of others. Jealousy is justified in some cases, but not most.

2. Bolster your self-confidence. As stated above, most jealousy is a result of personal insecurity rather than the actions of others. If you have a hard time building self-confidence you could get tips from self-help Web sites.

3. Examine the past and then leave it there. Look at the negative impact jealousy has had on your life in the past. Determine that you will not allow jealousy to continue to damage your relationships.

4. Build a network of supportive family and friends who will help improve your self-confidence, rather than fostering your insecurity. You may even wish to establish a "code word" with your significant other, known only to the two of you, which indicates that you could use support.

5. Put your plan into action. Learn to recognize jealous feelings when they arise. Analyze the feelings as soon as possible (you may wish to bounce ideas off others) and determine if they are justified or the result of your own insecurity.

Tips & Warnings

• View extreme jealousy as an enemy to be defeated, not a normal part of life.

• Try to look at objective realities, rather than presumptions or suppositions.

• This is not an overnight process. Don't be discouraged if you are unable to overcome jealousy immediately.

• Overcoming your own insecurities is probably the most difficult part of this process; learning to let go of the past is hard, but extremely beneficial.