Success makes us feel more confident and happier, but some people can disrupt that happiness by becoming jealous of us instead of rejoicing with us.
It happens to all of us from time to time that we feel a little envious of someone; the trouble is when someone keeps feeling that way about us and secretly wishes we would fail. In most cases, envy is easy to spot, but sometimes it hides behind the mask of friendship.
11 signs that someone close to you is envious of you
1. Trying to imitate you
An envious person may try to gradually copy everything they find enviable about you, from the way you dress to your ideas and concepts.
2. Hypocrisy
When you’re present, an envious person is likely to lavish you with compliments that may seem completely sincere. Behind your back, however, they are not so kind, and that’s where the mud-slinging begins.
3. Belittling your success
Those who are envious of you will always make your successes sound as if they are insignificant.
4. Rejoicing in your failures
When you hit even the smallest obstacle and fail, an envious person will be the first to announce “I told you so.” Even your smallest failure will make them happy.
5. They are only there for you when things are not going well
When your jealousies see your successes, they quickly disappear from your life. This is because your happiness only makes them jealous and insecure. They can’t bear to be the centre of attention, so they tend to distance themselves from you so they don’t feel insignificant.
6. They want to compete with you
Those who envy you will always want to compete with you because they want to be better than you at all costs and will do anything to prove their superiority.
7. They are always criticizing you
If someone envies you, they are amazingly good at finding faults in everything you do. They will literally criticise your every move, trying to make you believe that you are worthless and that your successes are really just a fluke.
8. They simply don’t like you
Some people who are envious of you simply don’t like you and can’t explain why. They crave your success and when they fail to achieve it, they start to hate you for it.
9. They try to ruin your relationships with your loved ones
Those who envy you will do anything to ruin your relationships. They will try to distance you from friends who care about you and support you so that they can crush you more easily later.
10. They hide behind the mask of friendship
An envious person will never show their true feelings. They’d rather put on a fake smile and act like they really share your joy and wish you nothing but the best, but don’t forget about the second sign – hypocrisy.
11. They give bad advice
One of the surest signs that someone is jealous of you is when they deliberately give you the worst possible advice to guarantee your failure.
Envy is one of the foundations of toxic relationships, so it’s good to notice when someone is jealous of you as soon as possible and remove that person from your life.