Friday, July 30, 2010

How to... Cope With a Jealous Friend

Friends are supposed to support you through good times and bad--but if your friend is jealous, he might be booing when you're happy and cheering when times are rough. Coping with jealous friends isn't easy. Sometimes you can help them get through their insecurities, but other times it's best to cut all ties. Here's how to cope.


Step 1
Understand your friend's feelings. Jealous friends envy you because they wish they had what you had. Decide whether your friend is insecure about her love life, looks, income, clothes, intelligence or something else. Think about whether your friend would be more secure if she had what she envies, or if you suspect she'd still find something to be jealous about.

Step 2
Call your friend on her jealous behavior. If she rolls her eyes when you order an ice cream sundae because she's always on a diet, tell her point blank that you're going to enjoy your dessert whether she rolls her eyes or not. If she teases you about your new jewelry, tell her you love your brand new diamonds. Be confident rather than apologizing for making her jealous, since her jealousy isn't your fault.

Step 3
Help your friend to be more secure. His insecurities should be painfully obvious by his jealous behavior--so build him up so he feels better about himself. Compliment him for what he does have going for him, and help him build an action plan so that he can get what he wants. If he envies your ease with the ladies, help him find more dates.

Step 4
Stand up to rude behavior. Just because your friend feels bad about his lack of education doesn't mean he can call you a nerd for wanting to study. Demand an apology and if you don't get one, it might be time to part ways.

Step 5
Expect all of your friends to support you through good times and bad. Your friend might be jealous that you're pregnant and she's not, but if she doesn't genuinely congratulate you, she's not a good friend. If your best buddy is happy that you crashed that new sports car he used to envy, he's not good friend material either.


SOURCE: ehow.com

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