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Your home is meant to be a place of peace. When you have neighbors who disrupt that peace, living in your home can be unbearable at times. But what are you supposed to do when you’re dealing with a jealous neighbor? Here are some signs of a jealous neighbor, and what you can do about it…
First and foremost, it’s helpful to know the signs pointing to jealousy as an issue. If you notice your neighbor consistently gives you false praise, or always seems to be in your business, chances are pretty high that they’re having a jealous streak. Neighbor jealousy can stem from anything. Whether you just got married or your grass seems to be greener, you may fall victim to a jealous neighbor.
Knowing the signs of a neighbor like this, can help you better prepare yourself for potential confrontation.
8 Signs of a Jealous Neighbor
Jealousy in your neighbors can manifest in many different behaviors. While one neighbor may showcase their jealousy through outward negativity, others may show their green monster through false praise and nosiness.
Here are 8 signs to look out for to diagnose jealousy from your neighbors.
1. False Praise With Hints of Sarcasm
If you notice your neighbor praises you for your achievements with hints of sarcasm in their voice, they’re likely jealous of you. When you’re conversing with the neighbor in question, gauge whether or not their tone seems sincere. Insincere compliments will have sarcastic undertones that downplay your achievements.
Jealous neighbors will use insincere compliments on you purposely to make your accomplishments seem less meaningful. As a result, you may feel shot down, and your sense of accomplishment may be eradicated. It’s important not to let a jealous neighbor’s behavior get the best of you. Instead, distance yourself from this neighbor and remind yourself that their issues are theirs and not your responsibility.
2. Downplaying Your Success by Making it About Them
A jealous neighbor may also try to downplay your success by pivoting the conversation to their accomplishments. While you’re speaking humbly about an accomplishment you’re proud of, a jealous neighbor may cut in and try to inflate their success as something much larger.
While this often happens during a typical conversation, you can spot a jealous neighbor by paying attention to specific cues. If they’re upscaling a much smaller accomplishment to try and overshadow you, that’s jealousy. On the other hand, a neighbor speaking of a similar accomplishment may just be trying to relate to you.
3. Pointing Out Flaws When You Speak of Success
If your neighbor continuously points out your flaws, especially when you’re speaking of achievements and success, they’re probably jealous of you. It never feels good to hear negative depictions of yourself, so pointing out flaws is a favorite pastime of jealous individuals. After all, there’s no better way to stamp out someone’s light than by pointing out their flaws.
For example, if you just bought a new model of RV to go traveling in, your neighbor may project their jealousy by reminding you that there are better RV models out there. They may also bring up your work schedule or other things that may deter you from using this new investment.
4. Giving Bad Advice on Purpose
If there’s one thing a jealous neighbor wants to do to you, it’s sabotaging you to make themselves look better. One way jealous neighbors commonly do this is by giving bad advice to make your life more difficult.
For example, a jealous neighbor may tell you to use certain ingredients for homemade fertilizer for your front garden. They may swear by these ingredients, saying they use the same combination in their front garden. Upon using their suggestion, your garden shrivels and dies instead of thrives. This makes the jealous neighbor look better because their front garden thrives while yours struggles.
5. Speaking Ill About You to Others
The number one sign of a jealous neighbor is a neighbor who talks about you behind your back to the rest of the neighborhood. In a way, this is another form of sabotage. If you’re new to the neighborhood, your jealous neighbor’s opinions of you may sway others to “join their side.”
To combat this, it’s good to have a healthy relationship with others in your neighborhood. Those neighbors can come to your defense when your jealous neighbor tries to slander your name.
6. Having a Next-Level Competitive Streak
Jealousy is a common emotion that forms as a result of competition. If you’re well-known and well-liked amongst your other neighbors, your jealous neighbor may try to go above and beyond to make themselves seem more likable than you.
The best way to get your jealous neighbor to stop trying to compete with you is to refuse to buy into the game. Whenever they seem to one-up you, brush it off and go on with your day. The less interested you seem in their antics, the less likely they will continue the competition.
7. Celebrating Your Failures in Subtle Ways
While a jealous neighbor may not necessarily run it in your face when you fail at something, they will find other ways to celebrate. This could even manifest in continuously bringing up the failure long after it initially occurs.
You may also find that they’re in a better mood whenever you seem to fail at something. If you notice significant mood changes in your neighbor during low points for you, you have a jealous neighbor on your hands.
8. Keeping Their Distance From You Without Reason
On the other end of the spectrum, you may find your jealous neighbor is nowhere to be seen whenever you have moments of great success. Seeing you celebrate success may make them angry, which amplifies any jealous feelings they already have toward you.
You likely have a jealous neighbor if you find they constantly make lousy excuses to not be around for celebrations or your general presence. On the other hand, you may find they spend more time around you when you’re dealing with low points and failures, which fuels them to act the way they do.
