No one wants to be around a jealous person.
Spotting and handling a jealous person can avoid potentially explosive and relationship-ending events. So knowing who is jealous of you and why is crucial. Because let’s face it, being around a jealous person is at best a little awkward and at worst excruciating. It can mean that you don’t get to enjoy your successes and moments in the sun, because there’s always someone there casting a black cloud over things. Ughhh! Let’s put a stop to all that though by confirming the clearest of signs that someone is jealous of you AND providing the very best approach to make the whole thing as stress-free as possible.
1. They compliment you – but you know it’s insincere.
Someone who is jealous of things that are going well for you will often be the first person to offer you congratulations when you get some good news…
…but, something about the things they say will be a bit off. They might seem overenthusiastic, in an attempt to pretend to everyone that they’re not jealous. Or they’ll try to play down or diminish the things you’ve achieved, even whilst seemingly patting you on the back. It’s quite easy to spot fake compliments, and it’s a good sign they envy you. They can do an excellent job at pretending that they’re not jealous of you at all, but deep down you’ll know that something is not quite right.
2. They love it when things go wrong for you.
No one’s life is perfect, and when things inevitably go wrong, only people who are jealous of you will seem genuinely pleased about it, no matter how much they try to hide it. You’ll probably spot this in the form of a satisfied smile that they quickly wipe off their face when they see you looking.
3. They downplay your achievements.
If things are going well for you, they’ll find a million reasons why that’s the case before admitting that it might be down to your own personal merit. They’ll attribute it to external circumstances and tell you and anyone else they talk to that of course you only got that promotion because you were flirting with the boss.
4. They make sure you know about their successes.
Whilst they make sure to let you know that your successes aren’t anything to get excited about, they’ll also broadcast anything positive that happens to them. The smallest of achievements are turned into the biggest of deals.
5. They point you in the wrong direction.
If you turn to someone who’s jealous of you with a problem, they might deliberately give you bad advice. After all, if they’re already jealous of you now, they’re hardly likely to tell you how you could do even better. They might even make it their mission to discourage you from putting yourself out there or trying new things. If you excitedly suggest a plan, they’ll probably be the first person to point out any possible flaws in it, just to take the wind out of your sails.
6. They copy you.
In these cases, it’s important to remember the old adage that imitation is the highest form of flattery rather than letting it get on your nerves. If someone is jealous of you, it’s normally because they want what you’ve got. By copying you, they hope to get it for themselves.
7. They gossip about you.
Even if they’re pleasant to your face, they might well let their jealousy of you show when it comes to talking to others about you. Some people will make you look bad subtly, but some are happy to blatantly spread gossip about you or make snide comments behind your back.
8. They make you look bad in front of other people.
They might do it cleverly, but someone who’s jealous of you may find ways to humiliate you in front of others, to make themselves look better, and knock your self-confidence.
9. They disappear when things are going well.
When you’re on a high, they’ll probably be conspicuous by their absence. They won’t want to be present if you decide to celebrate your success. Whereas you’ll find that some friends will only be there for you when it’s all plain sailing, in the case of jealous people the opposite will probably be true. When things are going badly, they’ll be the first one to pull up a chair and buy popcorn.
10. They’re competitive.
Anything you can do, they can do better. And they’re on a mission to prove it! This will especially be the case if the person who’s jealous of you is someone you work with. They’ll always try to score points in an attempt to prove to themselves that they’re better than you.
