OH THAT SPIRIT OF ENVY

It's fair to say that most people have a tiny bit of envy every now and then. Yes we do.  Perhaps your best friend is quite smart and always gets A grades but you struggle to get a B. You look at her and say half jokingly, "I hate you lol".

As human beings it's natural for us to feel slight envy but for some people it's a major issue and it manifests itself in ugly ways. It’s often quite difficult to talk about envy because it is a weakness.

WHY ENVY?

Envy occurs when we lack a desired attribute enjoyed by another.  In females this shows itself up in a lot of ways, especially the desire to outshine the person you are envious of. Or sometimes you become so hostile towards the person without even realising. Social media inflames envy because often you see the very thing you are envious of. Envy is associated with pain and shame.

ROOT CAUSE
From all indications and my research, the root cause of envy is low self esteem. 

SIGNS OF ENVY

1. You stop being nice and become very critical to the person.

2. You start ignoring the person. 

3. You see the person as fierce competition.

4. You are not happy for them.

5. You no longer cheer them on.

6. Any admiration you once had for them can turn into disdain and even disrespect .

If the envy is directed at you and you are a sensitive person, you might take such behaviour personally. But don't. It has nothing to do with YOU but more about how they feel about themselves.  Just be confident in yourself. 

HOW TO HANDLE ENVIOUS PEOPLE

1. Keep excelling and don't make any apologies for being your best self.

2. Focus on surrounding yourself with people that love and accept you for who you are.

3. Avoid interactions with envious people. They will just infuse negativity in your life.

4. Have strong boundaries and keep them at arm’s length.  

5. Realise that you can't fix a person with envy issues.  It's a journey they will have to deal with themselves.

6. Pray for those who despise and that includes envious people because that's what they do: despise you. 

7. Do not dim your light but rather be positive wherever you go.

HOW TO GET OVER ENVY

1.  Acknowledge that you do have envy issues.  It's the quickest way to kill envy. 

2. Consider that your behaviour towards the person you envy might not be kind.  Be kind.

3. Compliment the attributes that you are envious about.

4. Work on your strengths. We all have something that we are great at. If in doubt ask your closest circle.

5. Work on your self-esteem. When you have High Self-esteem, you are less likely to have envy issues.

6. Finally remember that any negative emotion you have towards another person can cause sickness in your body, so deal with it fast. Seek peace.  Be at peace with everyone around you.
Envy destroys relationships. 

Hope this article helps somebody. Please feel free to leave a comment. I write this from the heart. Please feel free to comment and share with someone that it can help.

Previous Post
WHY SELF ESTEEM MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONFIDENCE

Thanks for stopping by as always