Sibling rivalry: How to deal with jealousy

While a lot of people will look at sibling rivalry as little children pulling each other’s hairs or throwing toys at each other; what is mostly ignored is the fact that it could actually trickle down well into adult hood and cause worse damage within a family.

We are all aware of the destructive damage that could happen when a key family member passes on; from land disputes to money fights of who should receive what share of the family fortune.

Most of the reasons for sibling rivalry range from one sibling feeling like their parent favored one sibling more to it just being a case of feeling like you have to live up to your sibling other than just being yourself.

So what do you do when you find yourself being jealous of your sibling?

You obviously love them and want the best for them but you cannot seem to get past the fact that you want to roll your eyes at the fact that they might get more attention at their wedding as compared to yours.

Here are some ways you can deal with jealousy towards your sibling

Communication is key

This seems like a stretch considering you and your sibling can barely have a sit down for two minutes without wanting to tear each other apart.

The best thing to do is to stay apart from one another for a bit and then come back together to discuss what is really going on between the two of you.

Focus on other activities that you love doing

Sometimes all you really need is space between you and your sibling.

Take some time apart from the family gatherings – which you don’t have to attend each and every one – and any other event that you will have to interact with your sibling.

Give you and your sibling time to reflect on what is going on between the two of you before deciding to come back together to solve your problems.

Involve your parents

Majority of sibling rivalry stories usually stem from a sibling feeling like their parent favored one of them more than the other.

If this was the case for you and your sibling, get your parents involved in the conversation and let them know how you truly feel.

It is not necessarily a matter of telling your parent what they did wrong while you were growing up but rather discussing the underlying issue so as to come up with a solution at the end of it all.

Involve a third party

Family counselling is another option for handling sibling rivalry between you and your sibling. You get to see what is happening between you and your sibling from an outsider's perspective.

To make matters even better is the fact that the counsellor is a professional and will do their best not to be biased towards either side which in turn makes both you and your sibling's issues heard.