Jealousy and Envy

These words represent two very strong emotions/feelings.

Jealousy denotes that a person has hostile feelings toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.

Envy denotes a persons painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another with a desire to possess the same advantage.

A person that is jealous or envious of another often times is insecure with self. They are never satisfied with what they have, the way they look, or anything about their life. Most times the object of these feeling is not a rival, nor does that individual possess any advantage over that person.

I guess we've all experienced both of these at one time or another in our life, but what I don't understand is how one could let them dictate their life.

I know of a woman that is so consumed with jealousy and envy, that she cannot function on a normal level! It's very sad because she is always being told how beautiful she is and what a good person she is - but her low self-esteem does not allow her to enjoy who she is or the things she has accomplished in her life.

Can deep seated feelings of jealousy and envy be considered a form of mental illness? I mean they are emotions so if you allow them to dictate how you act or react, function on a daily basis, and guide your thoughts, deeds, and words does that make you crazy?

I've never been able to wrap my mind around the thought of being so consumed with another human being with regard to how they look, what they have, who they are with, etc. I could never imagine the mental anguish that these feelings could cause one.

Many people that experience these emotions have (or still do) struggled with self-image. I can understand how this could affect one's psyche. I struggled with self-image for a very long time and while I am now happy with who I am, there have been times when I've reverted back and questioned myself. However, I've never experienced any deep seated jealousy or envy toward anyone. When I have feelings of inadequacy I try to use them to make changes in that area of myself or my life.

I thank God everyday that I am not that woman, that I do not have to live in her head. I do pray that she will find some peace and relief from the demons that haunt her daily because I fear that if she does not she will cease to be.