Common Triggers
- →Seeing someone achieve a goal you want
- →Comparing your life to others on social media
- →Noticing someone’s success or recognition
- →Feeling left out of a group or activity
- →Perceiving unfair advantages in others
- →Lacking something you believe you deserve
Physical Sensations
- •Tightness in the chest
- •Clenched fists
- •Knot in the stomach
- •Increased heart rate
- •Tension in the jaw
- •Restless legs
Plutchik's Emotion Wheel
envy
Working with This Emotion
Recognize
Envy can be recognized through physical sensations like a tight chest, clenched fists, or a knot in your stomach. You might also notice facial expressions of frustration or anger, and behaviors such as avoiding the person you envy.
Understand
Common causes of envy include social comparisons, perceived unfairness, and unmet personal goals. It often arises in situations where someone else has achieved something you desire but feel out of reach for yourself.
Label
To label envy accurately, distinguish it from jealousy by focusing on the desire for what others have rather than fear of losing a relationship. Envy is also different from anger, which is more about immediate irritation, and sadness, which is about loss or disappointment.
Express
Healthy ways to express envy include acknowledging your feelings without judgment, sharing them with a trusted friend, and using the emotion as motivation to set and work towards personal goals.
Regulate
Strategies to regulate envy include practicing gratitude for what you do have, setting realistic and achievable goals, and engaging in activities that boost your self-esteem. Mindfulness practices can also help manage the intensity of the feeling.
Co-occurring Emotions
Emotions that frequently appear alongside envy, based on the NRC Emotion Lexicon.
Associated Words
Words associated with envy from the NRC Emotion Lexicon.
Using Inner
Using Inner, you can track patterns of envy by journaling when and why it arises. Pay attention to body signals like tension in your jaw or chest. Explore regulation strategies such as gratitude exercises or setting personal goals inspired by what you admire in others.
Try Inner for FreeSources & References
- —RULER Framework (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
- —Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions
- —Geneva Emotion Wheel
- —Lisa Feldman Barrett - How Emotions Are Made
Related Content
Jealousy
Feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements.
Contempt
The feeling that a person or thing is worthless or beneath consideration.
Resentment
Bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.
Longing
A yearning desire.
Projection
Attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person.
The Shadow
The unconscious aspect of personality containing rejected or repressed qualities.