You know that terrible, green feeling you get in your stomach from time to time. That feeling that makes you do ridiculous, out-of-character things. That feeling when you see something that makes you feel more than angry, you feel jealous.

Jealousy is an awful emotion that many us of experience in our lives.

We can feel jealous for many reasons. Sadly, they are all stupid reasons.

We can feel jealous when someone else has something we want.

We can feel jealous when we see our best friend laughing or hanging out with someone else.

We can feel jealous if our boyfriend or girlfriend id talking to another boy or girl.

This feeling of jealousy usually creeps up when we fear that someone we are close with is growing closer to someone else. If there is anything we want or own and we feel like it is slipping away, we get jealous because we feel like we deserve that thing.

When we get jealous it can take over our entire bodies and lives. We will do and say dumb things that we almost always regret later.

Jealousy turns us into something we could have never imagined we would become. The green-eyed monster you were told to be wary of as a child is real and it can take over your life too.

But, jealousy is a wasted emotion.

Jealousy makes us do crazy things and leaves us in want.

Jealousy goes hand-in-hand with greed. We want more, we want it all. And, if we don’t get it or worse someone else gets it, we go ballistic and turn in to a jealous monster.

Jealousy is ugly, and we need to search for tools to help combat this emotion.

There are two main tools to help rid our hearts and minds of jealousy. Each tool applies to a different concept that can cause us to feel jealousy.

The first way we can counter jealousy is with contentment.

When we get jealous out of a wanting for something that we can’t have or get, it stems from a lack of contentment.

We live in a materialistic society where the goal is to acquire more and more for ourselves. We always want the next best thing and will do whatever we can to get it.

However, if we switch from this mindset of “I’ll be happy once I have this thing I want” that is a painfully endless cycle and instead switch to a place of contentment, we can be happy where we are.

Being content with what you have and where you are in life can help fight off those feelings of jealousy that can creep up on us when we are always in a state of want.

The second tool we can use to combat jealousy is to assume the best and forgive.

This tool applies to when jealousy starts setting in when we see someone we are close to growing closer to someone else.

This is so hard to overcome. It can make us feel like we are losing a friend or like we aren’t enough anymore.

But, we can’t dwell in this negative mindset.

Challenge yourself to be happy for them.

Don’t assume that they are becoming friends and you are losing your friend. That is not how it works. While it can seem like that is occurring, challenge yourself to assume the best about their intentions and assume the best about yourself.

It may feel like they are intentionally hurting you but take that step towards assuming the best and end with a step towards forgiveness. When we feel that are feelings are hurt we want to dwell on those thoughts, but don’t. The sooner you forgive, the sooner you can move on.

Now these steps are by no means easy paths. It takes hard work to fight of jealousy.

But, recognize that being jealous is a waste of emotions. It only hurts yourself, no one else.

If you can fight your way out of that pit of jealousy we sometimes fall into, you will live a happier life. A life where you have a more positive view of yourself and those around you.