Whether it’s focused on someone else’s lifestyle, career success or character traits, envy isn’t a nice feeling, but creative writing can help to overcome it and shift your gaze

ILLUSTRATION: MARIAN F. MORATINOS

Envy. That uncomfortable feeling of discontent that arises upon hearing about someone else’s promotion, holiday or hugely popular birthday party and wishing you had something similar. In a 1957 essay, Envy and Gratitude, psychoanalyst Melanie Klein defined envy as being like anger. When someone else has success, envy can give rise to the impulse to want to ‘take it away or spoil it’. It doesn’t feel good and might be buried and hidden as a result – but that can cause it to fester within.

Acknowledging and processing the emotion, however, is key to noticing your desires, feeling gratitude for what you have or inspiring you to make changes in your life. The writing exercises opposite offer ways to dig deeper into envy and what it might be telling you. They can bring about positive shifts and turn the green-eyed monster into a loving reminder of what matters in life. Give them a go and see what insights crop up. You might even find you don’t want what someone else has after all…