“Insecure people only eclipse your sun because they’re jealous of your daylight and tired of their dark, starless nights.” ―
Jealousy really can make you nasty. There is nothing worse than finding out that the reason someone projected negativity towards you or your success is because they were jealous.
Jealousy is the mindset of insuperiority, they are not content with what they have. Instead they are constantly envious of what other people have.
When someone has an envious mindset towards you it only breeds negativity and one cannot help but wonder if they are being genuine or not. It’s best to surround yourself with people who are kind and genuine but that is not always easy, especially if the people who are jealous of you are your friends. The best thing to do is to be aware and to start recognizing the tell tale signs of their jealousy. In doing that you can help them move past it and start to see life in a different manner.
People get jealous for all sorts of reasons because they think they are void of whatever it is you have, be it money, style, love or success.
It is us to you, as an aware human being to help them see that they have the capability to achieve all of the above and more.
Here are 7 ways to tell whether someone has a jealous state of mind and how to help them fix it:
1. When They Give You False Praise
You can tell a lot from the tone of voice people use when complimenting or praising you. You can also see it in their body language. If someone gives you false praise, find something to genuinely praise or compliment them about and be sincere when doing it. Defuse the undertone of negativity by using positivity.
2. When They Downplay Your Success
Another way to tell whether someone is envious of you is when they downplay your success. They will do this by making it seem as though the only reason you actually succeeded was because it was a fluke, or you just got lucky. They hardly ever acknowledge the fact that you actually worked your butt off to get where you are. This can be really horrible and off putting but, you must never let that get you down or sim your shine. The best way to turn the situation around is to laugh it off and remain humble within your success.
3. When You’ve Succeeded, They End Up Flaunting Their Success Too
Jealous people have many different ways in which they show their jealousy and one of them is by flaunting their success while you are celebrating yours. This often happens because they aren’t as successful or feel the need to be praised as well. If you get upset that only adds fuel to their already burning fire, so when this happens, you should lead by example and offer them sincere praise for their achievements and celebrate yours and theirs together.
4. They Mirror You
Sometimes jealousy comes in the form of a mirror. They will start to imitate you, the way you talk, walk and sometimes even the way you dress. Getting angry or upset isn’t going to help them find their individuality, only leading by example will. When they do their own thing, or dress a bit differently to how you usually do, compliment and encourage them. Subtly let them know that they are beautiful and unique in their own way and that they need not imitate anyone or anything to be beautiful and great.
5. They Are Unhealthily Competitive
Another way to tell whether someone is jealous is by how competitive they are. They are always wanting to be the first one to get that new car, or see that new movie, or get that promotion. Often their competitiveness leads to unhealthy emotions being projected at you if you came first. They struggle with defeat and do not know how to deal with it. The best way to diffuse this type of jealousy is to make it very clear to them that you are in no way interested in competing, this will lessen the chances of them trying to one up you.
6. They Celebrate Your Failures
This may be done in secret but you get people out there that are so consumed by jealousy that they thrive off other peoples failures and mistakes. They love seeing you get reprimanded, or corrected at work. One must always remember, it’s how you handle the mistakes and failures in life that matters most. So handle them gracefully and try again until you succeed.
7. They Gossip Behind Your Back
We have all experienced this type of jealousy at least once in our lives. Jealous people often make up rumours about the people they envy in order to try isolate them. The only way to deal with this kind of jealousy is to confront the person face to face. Often they lack courage and that’s why they talk behind your back instead of to your face, so your best bet is to ask them directly why and if they can please stop. Doing so is also a good way to make them rethink their actions or even completely stop.
Truth is, we are always going to come in contact with people who display traits of jealousy. It’s up to us to be aware and to help change their mindsets using positivity and sincerity.