Jealous of Other People on Social Media? Here Are 7 Ways to Cope

“Jealousy and envy are two branches on the same tree,” says licensed psychologist Kate Balestrieri. “Jealousy contains a little more fear. Envy contains a little more resentment.”

For example, you might get jealous of a friend spending time with a new group because you’re afraid it means your relationship won’t be as important to them. But you might be envious of a friend who got a promotion when your own career has flatlined.

We often use the terms interchangeably, but it’s good to know which branch your feelings are stemming from in order to understand them better.

Those feelings are always worth working through, since letting them fester isn’t healthy. But you know they’re really reaching a tipping point “when a person becomes enraged and highly reactive,” explains Lisa Bahar, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Newport Beach, California. So if your spouse can’t leave the house without you taking a battle stance, it’s definitely time to get to work.