Jealousy is a natural emotion that everyone feels, some more than others and often more so with romantic partners. It’s not always a comfortable feeling and can be difficult to express with a lover. Here are five helpful tips for dealing with jealousy in your relationships.
1. Assess the Relationship
Is your current relationship have a solid foundation of trust? This may take time but once established will help to alleviate feelings of jealousy. Has there been betrayal or dishonesty? If there has it can take a long time to recover and you may have to accept that jealousy will be part of your relationship moving forward.
2. Is it You or Your Lover?
You could be with the most trustworthy partner and still have constant feelings of insecurity and jealousy. This is often the result of your own past experiences with other partners and sometimes from early childhood if you were in an unstable, unreliable environment. You may need to work your own issues out separately.
3. Express Your Feelings
It’s always better to talk about feelings in a relationship rather than sweep them under the carpet as this just means they’re given time to fester and will often become bigger and harder to deal with down the road. Talk to your lover when these feelings arise. It may just take a little reassurance to make you feel better.
4. Get a Reality Check
Talk to a close family member or friend who really knows you. Sometimes we just need a good kick in the butt when we go off the emotional rail. This can also let you blow off a bit of steam before you talk to your significant other and will provide you with a different perspective about the situation.
5. Let it Go or Let Her Go
If you have trouble handling your jealousy in a healthy way, you’re in trouble… and so is the relationship. When jealousy spirals out of control, for whatever reason, there can be dangerous consequences for both partners. If you find yourself sneaking into her emails, texts, or fb account, or looking through her personal belongings, it’s time to get out of the relationship and to seek support for your insecurities before you get into another relationship.
How do you handle feelings of jealousy in a relationship?
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