by Patricia Watson

Created on: October 20, 2009

The person, who claims they have never felt the pangs of jealousy, is not being truthful. Jealousy is an emotion that happens without giving it any real thought. You can't control the feeling of being jealous, but you can control how you react to that feeling.

We can feel jealous for many different reasons. The green eyed monster can raise its ugly head at any moment of your day. Perhaps a co-worker gets the promotion you were hoping for, or your husband gets assigned to work with a female partner at the office. You may feel pangs of jealousy, but you don't have to let them surface and take over your life. Once we give in to this negative emotion, our lives will never be the same.

Jealousy is a relationship killer. Couples need to trust in each other, if they are going to have a lasting union. Jealousy and trust just don't go hand in hand, in any situation. Don't feel guilty if you feel jealous from time to time, that is a natural occurrence. Don't dwell on your negative feelings of mistrust. Jealousy and paranoia go together quite well. We can build many false scenarios in our minds when we give in to our jealous feelings.

Ways to cope with feelings of jealousy

~ focus on the positives in your life.

~ Don't allow your mind to conjure up events that may never happen.

~ Don't feel guilty for feeling jealous; just be careful not to allow those feelings to take over your life.

~ Don't act out on suspicions and fears. False accusations against your partner, can spell disaster for your relationship.

Keeping our emotions in control is likely one of the hardest things we do daily. Any excess, in emotional displays, are not healthy. Dwelling on your jealous feelings, and letting other people in your life know you are jealous, will have a negative impact on your well being.

The first step you need to take, to make your jealous feelings go away, is to like yourself. If you have low self-esteem, you are more likely to feel jealous at other people's accomplishments. Accept who you are and learn to love yourself. As you become more comfortable with your life, you will find you don't fight the feelings of jealousy as often.

There are things in our lives that we just cannot control. Acting out in a jealous rage, will never accomplish anything positive in your world. Learning to accept the things we cannot change will help us to control feelings of envy and jealousy.

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