When we are working with other people there can be situations when we have to deal with difficult colleagues at some point in our careers. There will always be jealous colleagues who will try to sabotage your career and it’s important to realise that you have not done anything wrong and your jealous colleagues are probably individuals with low self-esteem (Psychology Today). Keep your confidence high as feeling good about yourself is your responsibility. No one can hurt your feelings unless you allow them in your thoughts. Know that you are not alone in feeling this way and there are strategies to help you when everyone in your team is green with envy.
Sometimes colleagues can be really nasty to each other in the workplace and there can be a lot of backstabbing, gossiping and trying to do everything to push you out of a job because of their jealous and insecure feelings. These people do not have your best interests at heart and they will try everything to sabotage your relationship with other colleagues. This blog post is about knowing the signs of jealousy, developing strategies to protect yourself from these toxic behaviours and thrive in your life.
THE SIGNS OF JEALOUSY AT WORK
- You are being ignored at work: If you are being ignored when you speak to jealous colleagues continue to be polite and keep conversations short and positive. Don’t talk about your personal life, keep conversations professional and talk when it’s necessary. Say “Good morning” and “Good evening” even if they don’t respond always be professional and don’t give them reasons to criticise you.
- They openly show you their negative behaviour: If you are able to feel the tension in the air when you are in the same room then you are dealing with a toxic environment and perhaps it’s time to start making plans and look at other options. If the situation doesn’t improve, you will realise that your wellbeing and mental health are more important than any job.
- They lie about you or try and sabotage your work: If you work in an office, make sure you save your emails and keep a record of all conversations. Sooner or later their lies will be exposed as nothing in this world is hidden forever. Remember that you always have options and deserve to be treated with respect.
5 STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH JEALOUS COLLEAGUES
- The goal is to protect yourself from the jealous colleague and maintain friendly communication even when their behaviour is difficult and negative towards you. Don’t get into an argument with a jealous colleague as that will give them another reason to complain about you and create bigger problems for you.
- Help your colleague think more positively and praise them in front of superiors. Jealous colleagues usually have low self-esteem so praise will help to improve their confidence and self-worth.
- Don’t allow the negative behaviour of jealous colleagues to affect you. Practice meditation every day to help you stay calm and clear your mind. Stay calm and don’t allow yourself to be influenced by the negative environment at work. If you don’t feed into it and think about it, you might notice that the situation no longer affects you.
- Surround yourself with positive people at work and give your time and energy to people who value your opinion and hard work. Keep up the good work even if jealous colleagues are criticising you as the jealousy could be a result of the good work you are doing and jealous colleagues don’t want to see you succeed.
- Look after your health and wellbeing, take regular breaks away from your computer. If you are able to take a walk outside during your lunch break and enjoy the fresh air and give yourself time to think and be aware of your feelings. You will find that if you start thinking about something positive, it will lift your mood and you will start to feel happy. When you return to work, it will help you manage the rest of the day and remain positive.
DEALING WITH YOUR EMOTIONS
It can be difficult to deal with jealous colleagues as we are human and sooner or later you can become frustrated with the situation and it will start to show. However, instead of reacting and getting into an argument with a jealous colleague redirect your emotional reaction into a positive action. For example, show patience and compassion to your negative colleague and offer to help them with their workload. Be proud of yourself and your achievements as working in a toxic environment with jealous colleagues can be detrimental to your health and affect your energy levels. Stay positive and focus on all the positive areas of your life to help motive you and continue to stay positive in a negative environment.
Creating a healthy routine
Try and wake up earlier in the morning and start a meditation routine. Make sure you get enough sleep, exercise and drink as much water as needed. Eat healthy food and avoid junk food and sugar as that can affect your mood and cause tiredness. When you are working in a stressful environment you need to be able to stay motivated and positive, eating junk food and not looking after your health is probably going to make your situation seem more stressful. Dealing with stress can decrease your energy levels as your mind and body sometimes uses tiredness as a coping mechanism to motivate you to take a break and rest before everything becomes overwhelming. Emotional stress can make you feel emotionally drained and this can lead to health issues.
Create a self-care routine
Finding the time to create a self-care plan is important as it will help you to deal with stress and prevent workplace burnout. Self-care doesn’t have to take up too much time, it can be anything from 15 minutes to 1 hour a day; making time for yourself is your gift to yourself and you deserve it. Taking care of your mind and body can help prevent conditions like cancer, heart disease and maintain your health. Self-care can be anything you enjoy doing that helps you feel relaxed, stay fit and healthy and help you manage stress and anxiety. It’s important to take care of yourself to be able to deal with the difficult situation and environment.
Here are some self-care ideas to nourish your mind, body and spirit:
- Exercise daily
- Meditation
- Get enough sleep
- Yoga
- Writing in a journal, positive affirmations
- Practice gratitude
- Regular walks
Take care of your mind, body and spirit and you will thrive in any difficult situation in life.
“Never hate jealous people. They are jealous because they think you are better than them.”
Paulo Coelho