Jealousy can spell the end of even the strongest of friendships and if you do not believe that there is an issue, you run the risk of losing that friendship.
Of course, it’s not easy to acknowledge and tackle a jealous friend but if you value the friendship and want to be able to move past the situation, you simply have no choice.
Jealousy in friendship takes many forms, some subtle, others not so much. Some friends might accuse you of being too proud and rubbing your triumphs in their faces.
This will probably leave you feeling hurt and confused as to why they are acting this way but understand that the problem is not with you, it’s with them.
If you want to salvage the friendship then you need to take into account these next 3 steps.
1. Don’t ignore it
Ignoring the situation will only make things worse and it will worsen like a cut that has not been treated and will end up infecting every part of the friendship. If you leave it and let the unhappiness and jealousy grow, you will only make the division between the two of you larger until it is simply beyond repair.
2. Communicate honestly yet gently
Learn to communicate honestly yet gently with your friend about how you have been feeling. Honest communication is the key to fixing most things including unhealthy behaviour among friends. Take the time to speak to your friend about how they’re acting and how their behaviour is affecting you.
3. Try and understand why
Once you have confronted your friend, try and understand why they feel the way they do towards you. Another important thing that you have to do is to understand ‘why’ your friend is acting the way they are. Why are they jealous of you? Why does this person always have to turn things into a competition? Why does this person feel the need to watch you fail?
Most of the time, people have their own reasons for feeling jealous. Often, the person sees something in you or another person that makes them feel that they aren’t as good.
