Almost everyone has experienced the sting of the "green-eyed monster" at some point in their life. Jealousy in a relationship is not uncommon, but it's also not necessary.
Here is the official Wikipedia definition of jealousy:
"Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness, and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy."
You can easily learn how to overcome jealousy in a relationship. What it boils down to is a matter of trust. Do you trust your spouse or partner? If so, why do feelings of jealousy surface when we observe their interactions with someone of the opposite sex? The quick and easy answer is that it is OUR self-esteem and self-confidence that's at fault, not (usually) what our partner is actually doing.
Janean's Story
My cousin Janean's had a big problem with jealousy and suspicion of her husband. Her beliefs that no one could really love her or want to stay with her stemmed from her insecurities and limiting beliefs that started when she was a child. She came from a dysfunctional family and was "farmed" out with different people and relatives until she was 10 years old. She subconsciously internalized the belief that no one wanted her.
Her husband loved her very much, but this subconscious "filter" made her fear that her husband would eventually get tired of her and leave her for someone else. When he flirted with their very attractive neighbor or his new associate at work, she got jealous. She imagined all sorts of things were going on and figured it's just what she expected - and deserved.
Therein lies the secret. Janean EXPECTED him to cheat on her. She felt unworthy and that she somehow deserved to be deserted again and again. She knew, without a doubt, she had to learn how to overcome jealousy in a relationship because she was driving her husband away.
Janean knew she had to change the way she was thinking - and what she was expecting to happen in her marriage or she would be guilty of self-sabotaging the very thing she wanted most in the world - her marriage.
It wasn't an easy task. She did a lot of reading and learning of different techniques to change her thinking. Each time she would begin to imagine that her husband was having an affair, she would immediately change her thoughts. Janean stopped herself from falling into this kind of "negative self-talk."
She started changing her "expectations" for her marriage to one of long-lasting fidelity and happiness - and trust. Janean had been hurt before and she was resisting letting herself be vulnerable again. She finally realized that, even if she let herself be vulnerable again, that didn't mean that she would be hurt and betrayed like in the past.
And the sad thing was, her husband hadn't really done anything to warrant Janean's suspicions, it was all in HER head. Her subconscious level of "deservedness" was very low.
But, I'm happy to say that it wasn't long before she became a much nicer, calmer, more pleasant person to be around simply because her "thoughts" were much more positive. Janean "practiced" constantly not letting negativity and suspicion color her feelings and attitudes.
She started meditating and practicing the extremely easy
Sedona technique, which she learned from the book entitled
"The Sedona Method". This is a great program for learning how to let go of negative feelings and emotions (feelings are simply thoughts, and we can chose what we think about!). This is when things really started to turn around for her.
I won't say it was a quick fix, but she told me she felt the changes in herself begin almost immediately. And so did her husband.
Conclusion
Be aware of this negative feeling when it surfaces and do whatever you need to do so it doesn't sabotage your happiness. If you suffer from this problem, learn how to overcome jealousy in a relationship. It takes work, but the benefits are worth it. And, so are you.
If your jealousy, or other problems, have caused you and your partner to break up, or you are currently going through the
stages of break up, I strongly recommend you read the book below. It can help strengthen a faltering relationship or put a broken relationship back together.
RECOMMENDED READING
If you want some serious help with your relationship, whether your still together or separated, I recommend you visit
THIS SITE for a lot of great information - not only for getting an ex back, but for keeping a relationship healthy.