It turns out our parents were right when they said “they’re just jealous” when we cried to them because another student was mean to us.

Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “I wish I had what they had,” or even disliked someone, and you didn’t know why? That’s called jealousy, my friend. Jealousy is an ugly feeling that no one wants to experience, which is why we’re here to help you learn how to stop being jealous of others’ success.

What Causes Jealousy?

Jealousy stems from our insecurities and self-esteem. Think about it: if we were confident, working our dream jobs, and living the dream life, would we still be jealous of other people’s success? Probably not.

Unfortunately, low self-esteem easily comes from comparing ourselves to others, and no better platform fosters that action than social media.

Social media has a lovely way of flashing thousands of images and statuses in our faces about how “awesome” everyone else’s life is.

When people spend too much time on social media, they open themselves up to negative emotions and slowly decrease their self-esteem without even realizing it.

Show Daily Gratitude

A great way to combat jealousy is to be grateful for everything in your life. Look in the mirror and look at yourself.

Smile, appreciate the color of your eyes, and say three nice things about your appearance. If you can’t think of anything, try listing two things or even one. Do this every day, and you’ll start to love yourself again slowly.

Consider everything else in your life that you’re grateful for beyond your appearance.

For example, if your friend got the role you wanted in a play, realize that you have unique talents that your friend doesn’t have. And that’s not to say that you’re competing with them; instead, you’re acknowledging your skills.

Channel Negative Energy Into Self-Care

When you experience jealousy towards another person, you’re experiencing negative emotions that don’t belong there.

Instead of allowing yourself to wallow in jealousy and despair, channel that energy towards improving yourself. That may sound contradictory to being grateful for who you are, but the trick is to be thankful while working on yourself.

Does someone else have the body you want? Start a workout plan and eat food that nourishes you—remember, if you really want it, you’ll stick to it. Home in on what you want and tap into your spiritual potential to learn what challenges and inspires you.

Have Compassion

You never know what someone is going through. If someone else got the manager position over you, maybe they worked on the weekends, put in extra time, and went above and beyond to get that role.

Or maybe that person needed the pay bump more than you because they got into a car accident and didn’t have insurance to pay for repairs.

Now that you know how to stop being jealous of others’ success, love yourself, have compassion for yourself, and show that love and compassion towards others. Who knows, someone may be jealous of you.