r/simpleliving • u/Ancient-canis • 3d ago
Overcoming Envy and Finding Contentment in a Simple Life Sharing Happiness
Lately, I’ve been feeling a little stuck. My girlfriend gets to travel all over, checking out new places and having amazing experiences, while I’m stuck here. At first, it made me feel super envious. I’d catch myself thinking, “Why can’t I do that too?”
But instead of letting jealousy take over, I’ve decided to flip it into something more positive. Here’s what’s helping me:
Gratitude: I’ve started focusing on all the good stuff in my life—my goals, my passions, and the small wins I tend to forget about. It’s helping me see that I’m living a pretty great life too.
Perspective Shift: Her traveling doesn’t take anything away from me. If anything, it makes me think about the future and how I can make it happen for myself too.
Mini Adventures: Even though I can’t travel far right now, I’ve been exploring nearby places and making the most of the time I’ve got.
Focusing on Growth: I’m channeling this energy into working on my goals and building the life I want.
It’s not always easy, but I’m learning to appreciate what I’ve got and trust that my time will come. Anyone else feel this way sometimes? How do you deal with it when someone close to you is living a life you kinda wish you had? Would love to hear how you handle it!
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u/jcirclee 3d ago
Envy is such a problem for me. It honestly seems like the root of 80% of my discontent in life. Just yesterday a coworker was telling me how his comic book printing business is valued at $5 million. He just works at our current job to keep from getting bored. That lead me on a wild search to find new passive income ideas or ways I could do the same.
It's important to put effort into learning how to step back and say "I have enough." It's still something I'm working on, but at least I know what to work on. As a software engineer, I've learned that knowing what causes the problem is 95% of the battle. Solving the problem, once you know what it is, is much easier.
Practically speaking, I've been using this app called Healthy Minds. It's similar to meditation apps like Balance and Calm, but it's 100% free, and the meditations are phenomenal, and all backed by science and research. I went through a few months of twice daily meditation a year ago and it made a huge difference in my life, including with my envy. Now, I'm getting back to that practice.