YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Jealousy eats me up inside

I have amazing, beautiful, talented, kind friends. What a lucky girl, right?

Well sometimes it makes me feel like such a loser. Sometimes its like being Jimmy Olson just wandering around in a stupid bow-tie barely noticed by the rest of the world. Sometimes its seems like "oh, you know Superman" is the only thing I have going for me in the eyes of other people.

And the fact that I'm jealous of my friends who are nothing but kind to me fills me with shame. Also, the fact that I've been given so many advantages in life (I'm middle class, two loving though overprotective parents and no disabilities) means that I really don't have anything to complain about.

I shouldn't feel this way, I'm lucky in so many ways. But I can't get rid of it lately

Hello Mokey!

I am not confident to give advice. From my own experience, jealousy was productively handled by [1] going out and doing self-improvement work, [2] forcing myself to socialize more with strangers - being too busy being proactive makes zero energy and time left over for jealousy. And forgive yourself for feeling jealous - you cannot control the feelings that spring from inside you, you can only take responsibility for your choice of effort to constructively deal with those feelings. If you are trying to keep it positive, you have done your part, and then you deserve to give yourself a break.

Please take care, all the best, we are all cheering for you for your greatest today and tomorrow!