Jealousy is an emotion that everyone experiences at one point or another in their lives.
When it comes to open relationships, jealousy can rear its ugly head more often than not. If you’re in an open relationship and feeling jealous, here are a few things to keep in mind.
6 steps not to get jealous in an open relationship:
1- Talk to your partner:
First and foremost, it’s important to communicate with your partner about your feelings. If you’re feeling jealous, talk to them about it and see if there’s anything they can do to help ease your mind.
After all, if your partner is seeing other people, it’s natural to feel a little jealous from time to time. The key is to learn how to manage those feelings in a healthy way with communication. So try to communicate openly with your partner about how you feel.
Let them know when you’re feeling jealous and why. This can help them understand your needs better and make them offer reassurance.
2- Remember that their love for you is unaffected:
Secondly, try to remember that just because your partner is seeing other people doesn’t mean they love you any less. In fact, for some people, having multiple partners can actually make them feel more secure and loved in their open relationship.
That’s because they know for a fact that they will always be able to go back to their one and only, in the end. Granted, open relationships are not for everyone and are not going to suit any couple ever. However, there are couples that swear by open relationships and that feel that the love and trust in their couple have grown stronger when they started seeing others.
When you have one person that you call home at the end of the day, despite having gone through many different experiences with different people, it can make you feel grateful for such a compatible and understanding partner.
This point can be confusing but for couples that are already in an open relationship, then it can make sense that they separate physicality from emotions and love. So for them, remembering that their partner will only ever love them, and has things that are not physical that will only be reserved for them, will always make them feel more secure in the relationship.
3- Focus on the positives:
Another thing you can do to stop feeling jealous in an open relationship is to try to focus on the positive aspects of it and the reasons why you decided to open things up in the first place. If you can clearly remember your reasons, chances are you’ll be able to overcome your jealousy and have a healthy and happy open relationship.
So do your absolute best to try and focus on the positive aspects of an open relationship or why you agreed to it in the first place. Focusing on the good can help to take the focus off of the things that are making you jealous or have any negative emotions.
So try to stay present and focus on the good side of things. You must have strong reasons and must’ve gone through many serious discussions before you decide to give an open relationship a try. So ask yourself what is it that made you make such an unconventional decision? How happy is your partner with this choice? And what makes them special to you?
4- Focus on yourself:
It’s also important to focus on your own happiness. Spend time with friends and loved ones, pursue your hobbies, and make sure you’re taking care of yourself.
This will help you feel secure in yourself and less reliant on your partner for happiness. If you can find a balance between taking care of yourself and communicating with your partner, you’ll be able to navigate jealousy in an open relationship successfully.
5- Allow yourself to feel a little jealous within limits:
It’s perfectly normal to feel a twinge of jealousy when you see your partner with someone else, even if you’re in an open relationship. After all, we’re programmed to feel possessive of the people we care about! But if you find yourself feeling jealous all the time, it can put a real damper on things.
In this case, remind yourself that jealousy is normal. Everyone feels it from time to time, so there’s no need to beat yourself up over it nor do anything about it as long as it’s within moderation and not excessive. Just try to ride out the wave and it will eventually pass.
6- Consider having a monogamous relationship:
Finally, if you’re feeling particularly jealous, you may want to consider having a monogamous relationship for a while. This can help you feel more secure and loving in your relationship.
Whatever you do, remember that jealousy is okay and that you can work through it with patience and communication. It’s important to understand that monogamous relationships are the most common type of relationship. So you don’t have to force yourself to be different or become a hero by accepting to be in an open relationship when it doesn’t suit your personality and needs.
Everyone experiences jealousy at some point. But, if you cannot be in control of yours, then an open relationship may not be for you. To help you assess whether it’s for you or not, you can check this article out on signs that you’re polyamorous and find out for yourself.