Eenie Meenie minnie mo, guess who the jealous friend is! We keep a lot of people around us in the guise guide friendship.
What you may never have noticed before is that some people are better off as acquaintances rather than close friends that we force them to be.
You have surely heard of the saying that goes “Not everyone is your friend", right? Well whoever came up with that did not lie about it.
Some friends that you keep near you only laugh to your face but the moment you have your back to them, you do not know every nasty thing they say about you.
It is quite difficult for some people to differentiate between real friends and the wolves in the sheep’s skin, which is why I am here to lend a helping hand.
You may find it hard to believe that there could ever be a friend who is jealous of you or your achievements but you best believe me when I say that such “friends” do exist and they live among us.
It is a little difficult to pick them out from the good bunch but it is not entirely impossible to land on them. Today I will equip you with simple signs to look at if you want to catch that jealous friend.
Marv always smiled at me from ear to ear. I could feel his honesty even when he never said a word. Many times, I asked him for advise and sometimes I did not even need to ask him because he would give me a piece of his mind free of charge. And yes, he never asked for anything but my friendship in return for his beautiful advice.
With him by my side, I overcame various hurdles and made big investment decisions. We shall talk about the losses I incurred later but well, I received advice alright! It was up until that morning when I caught him speaking ill about me behind my back.
He called me brainless for always investing in sick business ventures you know. I may have learnt my lesson a little late but at least I learnt the lesson in an unforgettable way.
Signs that your friend is secretly jealous of you.
Never supportive of you.
If you have a friend who never supports whatever you want to do, start thinking about dropping this friend.
A friend is meant to support you through your dreams and if there is someone in your clique or someone near you that is always telling you that your dreams are invalid, too difficult to attain or even impossible to achieve, then run for your dear life.
A jealous friend will never want to see you aiming for the sky. He /she will want you to stagnate in one position, never progressing.
The only way hey want to see you go is backwards. It is okay to receive advice from your friends if they see a possible threat in your way but keep your eyes open for that particular friend that never let’s you take a step forward.
Always Being Competitive with you.
Yes, you will say competition is healthy but exactly what kind of competition are we talking about here?
It is okay to compare yourself to your friend in certain aspects but still, a friend that us always in competition with you could be a threat more than a motivation. This is a crucial toxic sign that you need to keep looking out for.
If you have a friend who is always competing with you, making sure she or he tries to do something you do better than you then you need to watch out for yourself.
This friend of yours is trying to steal your relevance and if you are not careful, they could even try to take your place. I suggest that when you witness such a trait in a close friend, you should stay far from them.
Always negative when you have good news.
Have you ever landed your dream job or even got into that prestigious school you have always dreamed of? How did all your friends react to the good news?
While there are some that were happy for you, there could have been one who did not welcome the news in a very positive way. If this has happened to you, then it is time for you to end that friendship.
I agree that a friend can be concerned about your safety and wellbeing in he or she will want you to take caution as you dive into a new opportunity.
There are a few people however who will always be negative about the good things that happen to you. They will always try to highlight anything that will go wrong in order to discourage you from taking up an opportunity. Watch out for this sign.
Always crashing your self esteem.
There is that one “friend" who will never stop at anything when it comes to making you feel small at every given opportunity. They will make sure to ruin your self esteem and make you feel like you only fit in because you are friends with them. This is a toxic trait and it is usually done by that jealous friend.
This friend will always make you feel like you are below them and you should consider it a privilege that you even know them. Pack your bags and walk away from such friends because they are secretly jealous of you.
Always insecure around you.
Then there is this group of people who always act insecure around you to an extent that they make you feel almost guilty for having anything good going on in your life.
This kind of friend is also secretly jealous of you. This friend will always point out the advantages you have over them and make it seem like your fault that you are doing better than they are. Walk away.
Never respect your decisions.
It is okay for your friends advice you about certain important decisions that you are making in your life. It is another story if they downplay every decision you make even when it is to do with your own life.
Friends are meant to support you or advice you where they think you can do better. If a friend tries to dictate your life however, it could be that she or he wants you to blunder and not prosper
Always talking behind your back.
Super jealous! If there is a friend of yours who keeps looking like a saint in front of you but talks about you behind your back, trust me this friend is super jealous of you.
This shows that this friend is envious of everything you are and are becoming so they go around belittling you behind your pretty back.
Giving you backhanded compliments.
Has some friend of yours ever walked to you and said something like “You are not as foolish as I thought you were"? That’s a classic. It sounds like a compliment at first but the more that you think about it, it turns out to be a pure insult.
Your friend just insulted you as politely as they could. This is a backhanded compliment. Ask yourself a question. Is that how a real friend would choose to compliment you?
Acting like the World revolves around them.
If you have a friend and everything seems to revolve around them, then I believe this is a friend that is secretly jealous of you. They always want to be the center of attention and they want you to be ignored. In a way, this friend is also ignoring you and your feelings because they are too focused on talking about themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions.
How can you tell when a friend is jealous of you?
They frequently try to outdo or one-up you. If you share something positive from your life, a friend dealing with jealousy might respond by sharing something similar, only bigger or better. In other words, you may notice a pattern of behavior where they not only imitate you, but also try to go one step farther
How do people act when they are jealous of someone?
If you're actively avoiding someone, it could be a sign that you're jealous of them. You may find yourself skipping meetings with co-workers or a get-together with friends to avoid interacting with the person. You become overly critical of them.
How do you know if your friend doesn't value you?
They Frequently Forget Significant Details About Your Life. Remembering details and actively engaging in conversations about each other's lives is a sign of care and attentiveness. If your friend consistently shows disinterest, it can leave you feeling unappreciated, as if your life experiences don't matter to them.
How do you react to a jealous friend?
Encourage, support, and build-up your friend. Perhaps they need to see that you are not as perfect, happy, or put together as you appear or maybe they need to hear from you that they are valuable, special, and successful. If they are jealous of your success, help them recognize the value in their accomplishments.
How is jealousy felt?
It always feels like Spikes of rage, fear, possessiveness, sadness — we all experience romantic jealousy differently, but the common denominator is the feeling of that inner alarm bell going off.
