How to Reduce Jealous Behavior in a Relationship
Overcoming the Green Eyed Monster to be a Better Partner
A jealous person will over analyze the most minute detail, like a conspiracy theorist, which can lead into a downward spiral of self destruction. Instead of focusing on what is happening, a jealous person gives way to the imagination, which is a powerful tool, and sets of on a path of self destruction.
Feelings of Jealousy
The most innocent acts by a partner can be interpreted as something sinister and trigger feelings of jealousy. Anger, hurt and annoyance accompany those feelings and result in low self esteem and negative self image.
Often a person prone to jealousy is not only jealous of their partner, but also of other people's achievements. Someone getting a pay rise, a good job or a nice house can trigger a sense of jealousy.
Why do People Feel Jealous?
People who are overly jealous of their partner, and of other people, generally have insecurities that they need to work on to improve their own life. Often jealous people do not focus on things that are going well in their life and things they have achieved, with their focus being on what someone else has achieved.
Practical Tips to Overcome Jealousy
The following tips will help individuals who experience jealousy keep that emotion in check, thereby avoiding damage to relationships.
- Get perspective - If the jealousy relates to the partner it may assist to ask a third party, a friend, if the jealousy is warranted. This way the problem is talked about and the root of the problem may be identified. By talking about feelings of jealousy it may come to light why they are there in the first place.
- Self evaluation - Often people find it difficult to evaluate themselves but it can be a useful exercise to analyze feelings of jealousy. Questions like 'where does this jealousy come from?' can improve jealous behavior. Knowledge is powerful. Knowing why there is a feeling of jealousy can lead to coming up with a solution to the particular situation that has led to feeling jealous.
- Evaluating the relationship - A partner that is always jealous can be destructive to an otherwise healthy relationship. The jealous partner needs to work on the relationship and focus on what is good about it and why it has worked as long as it has, instead of giving way to feelings of jealousy. Everyone is able to control their feelings, particularly if they are able to identify their origin and thus come up with a coping mechanism.
- Boosting self-esteem - Jealous people can tend to have a low self esteem. Again this involves a personal examination of all the positives as opposed to the negatives in ones life.
- Keeping track of future feelings of jealousy. Again this exercise will allow an analysis of what triggers those feelings of jealousy. Once the trigger is identified coping strategies can be implemented.
Jealousy has been around as a human emotions for centuries. For people to have happy relationships, not only with their partner but also with friends and colleagues, it is essential that feelings of jealousy are minimized.
Devising coping mechanisms and then putting those into practice can go a long way to effectively minimizing feelings of jealousy.
Being at Peace and Avoiding Jealousy
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