Jealousy: Thou Art Evil

If you haven't suffered from jealousy, you are either lying to yourself or you just haven't been on this earth long enough.  With the advent of social media, the jealousy conundrum has reared its evil head into our society even more.  I myself am not immune to this terrible emotion. I am a father of three and a husband to an incredible wife, but I see where everyone else is in life and I constantly ask myself why can't I be in that place/situation.  Specifically for me, its about being able to take my family on grand adventures.  Seeing others enjoying RV trips or boating on the lake really tugs at me because those are things I would love to being doing if the financial cards were in my favor.  These things are now about appearance or perception, but about truly getting to experience great things with my family, especially given how short life can be and how moments can be fleeting.  I do my best though and I've found some really great tips to help diminish the intensity of these feelings when they do come one.  Trust me when I say this, they don't come often, I don't want you think that I am crazy with jealousy, but the feelings do exist and here is how I combat them. 

Spend Time in Gratitude

I try to spend at least 5-15 minutes each day in gratitude.  This can take on many forms.  Sometimes, it is actually writing out everything I am grateful for in this life.  Other times it is simply spending some time in deep breath and taking in images of what great things this life has given me. Even other times its working on projects around the house, though my wife will probably tell you I don't do enough around the house. Last but not least, spending time doing things I love with my family, especially reading, walking, fishing, and playing together.

Spend Time Exercising

This is probably one of the most important things I do on a somewhat daily basis. Exercising is fun and enjoyable, but most importantly it completely clears my mind.  I get too focused on completing the exercise and it does wonders for me.  With a  clear mind, I am able to fill it with positive emotions and thoughts and use the time to reflect on all the great adventures I have had in life, especially with my family.  If you can even spend 15-30 minutes in exercise, you'll see astronomical benefits in your overall mental health. 

Help Others

One of the best things for the mind, is to help others.  I'm not saying you should help others to enjoy an ego trip, but help others because it is the right thing to do.  You don't have to go and volunteer at the soup kitchen, though they need the help.  You can simply do things for others you already know, like helping a family member mulch their garden, or pick up groceries from someone who is feeling swamped.  Helping others works to clear out the victim mentality that reeks havoc on our minds, and puts us in a mental state to accept gratitude.  There are so many ways to help others, find something that is enjoyable to you and offer up your services. 

Spend Time Doing What I Love

Life is too short to live in misery or doing things that are unpleasant. I get it, there are things that must be done that aren't always going to provide pleasure, however, you have to take time for yourself and reconnect with things you love.  For me it hiking in the woods, fishing, hunting, and throwing the ball around with the boys.  The longer I spend away from these things, the more tendency jealousy has to rear its evil head.  Figure out what you love to do most and make a conscious effort to spend time doing it each day, week and month.  Live your life and you'll stop worrying about what others have that's different or "better" than your own. 

I hope this helps a little bit. There are a lot more tips I am sure of to help combat jealousy, and as they come, I will share more. Just remember, live YOUR best life and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.  I want that pull behind camper and a bass boat, but instead of being jealous of those that have it, I'll start working on goals that can help me acquire those things. 

Happy Tuesday and leave a comment below on some of the activities that you love to do in your spare time! 

Comments

  1. Chris RMay 27, 2020 at 9:22 PM

    There are always things that others do that people wish they were doing. But that is true with just about everyone, I would dare to suggest. So, while you are thinking about the RV or lake, there are people looking at you, saying "I wish I had those moments with my children and extended family members". Or they could be thinking about how they wish they had those moments with their fathers. I learned a long time ago, what we have is what we have, no more, no less, and that I should appreciate everything about it. Thinking about what if, only if, and if I could, only distracts from the good that we have right in front of us.

    I also learned a long time ago, that some people keep extending their jealousy. I worked with a guy one time that longed for a truck. When he got his raise at work, he was very satisfied with the amount and on cloud nine because he could get that truck. Then, five months later, when his neighbor got a boat, suddenly he was not being paid enough, and was jealous about the boat. So, when does it stop?

    Just a few of my thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

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