After seeing my daughter safely get onto the school bus, I shut the front door quickly.  A check of the weather app showed it was 16 degrees (but “it feels like 4”).  I shivered and put on a heavy sweatshirt, then got to work.

As I checked in online, I understood why a new study found that friends’ updates on Facebook “produce a basis for social comparison and envy on an unprecedented scale.”

Damn my old high school friend and her new boyfriend “Having the best time ever in sunny Jamaica!”

Who do my parents think they are bragging about their “lovely warm stroll around the golf course” in Florida?

And did you see Gina’s new ring? Her perfect husband bought it for her after their son made the dean’s list. Again.

Okay, Gina’s perfect family has nothing to do with me wanting to warm my frigid bones in a sunny location, but that type of post has been shown to lead to feelings of jealousy – when we see our Facebook friends succeeding or doing things we wish we were doing.

So what can we do?

Personally, I like to use my envy in a productive manner.

Use your desire as inspiration!  If you feel a pang of jealousy looking at something someone else has, realize that it simply means you want more in your life.  Get clear on exactly what you want, and take the steps towards making it a reality for yourself.

Then post pictures of it and make everyone else jealous.