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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be bothered by how easy things can be for some

109 replies

MumOfTwoTwins · 07/12/2023 18:30

Feel bad just writing this.
I am lucky and privileged in many ways in life but I can’t help being envious of other people lives when they have way more than I do and generally seem to obtain things more easily.
DH and I have been saving for years and years to be able to buy our first home and we had to compromise on a small house we don’t really like. We are lucky to have 2 wonderful DC but we don’t have any help and parenting has taken a toll on us and our finances.
I have a colleague at work that comes from a very rich family and also happened to marry a very rich guy. They have just bought a fabulous house in a beautiful part of the town that they are decorating as they like (29 and 30 years old) and they still seem to have a lot of spare cash for lots of exotic holidays in fancy hotels, dinners in the best restaurants, luxury clothes etc.
I know I should be more mature about it all but I can’t help but be bothered by how easy all of this is/has been for her whereas some of us have to work so hard to achieve a fraction of that.
Anyone feels the same and what tips do you have to cope with this feeling?

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voiceofastar · 08/07/2024 13:17

There are studies on this. Once we have obtained our basic needs, it's not how much we have but how much we have compared to other people that leads to unhappiness.

1mabon · 08/07/2024 13:09

Suck it up, many would love what you have. clearly you are jealous.

gannett · 08/12/2023 12:38

I don't really think about those who have it easier than me. I know a lot of them and while pots of money would always be nice to have I'm not especially envious of their overall lives (or why they have the pots of money).

Not to be sanctimonious, but there are so many people who have it so much harder than me at all, both in this country and abroad. While I'm hardly wealthy by MN standards I have everything I need. Material envy feels blinkered at best, a rather vulgar indulgence at worst.

If you're unhappy at the extent to which you feel it, can I suggest volunteering with refugees or the homeless.

ohdrearydrearyme · 08/12/2023 12:30

You really need to change your mindset.

Are you truly grateful for what you have?

Are you even fully aware of how well off you are?

I'll give just one example from my own life:

  1. I have type 1 diabetes. If I looked at it negatively, I could dwell on the fact that my blood sugars fluctuate way too much no matter how carefully I try to control them, I can't eat freely and utterly without concern the way people without diabetes can, there is always the risk of long term complications such as blindness, and so on. High blood sugar feels terrible and is terrible for your body long term, and low blood sugar carries the risk of going unconscious or even dying. EVERYTHING affects blood sugar, how much you eat, what you eat, sickness, exercise, even ambient temperature. I can never never go more than a few hours without thinking about blood sugar, can't engage in certain activities because it would be too dangerous (scuba diving, for example) and, like I said before, can never just eat something freely the way someone without diabetes can.

If I looked at it from this mindset, I would feel pretty shit. So I choose not to.

Looked at positively, I have of necessity had to learn way more about food and nutrition than the average person and this helps me eat better than many do. In addition, I am lucky enough to be born in an era where insulin and the means to test blood sugar have been invented and am lucky to be in a rich enough country that both are available to me.
A couple of hundred years ago someone with Type 1 would be dead not long after developing it and that is still the case in many poorer parts of the world. And it's not a pretty death.
I am lucky enough to be born in an era and to live in a place where I am literate enough to understand both my condition and what I need to do to deal with it.
I am lucky enough to be able to afford and acquire food that is healthy and doesn't harm my condition.
When I look at it, I find it hard to believe quite how lucky I am.

An anecdote:
A couple of decades back I lived in India, my husband's home country, for a few years. At the diabetes clinic (in Delhi, at a big state run hospital where consultations - which were free although medicine was not - took place in one big room with everyone waiting their turn present and listening in), the woman before me was clearly a labourer who worked on road building, carrying bricks. (The job is done by one particular sub-caste where the women wear distinctive clothing, so very easy to recognize). They live in temporary mud huts which they build near the side of the road where they work, pump their water from wells by the roadside , cook dal and chappati - because that is all they can afford- over fires out in the open that they've made from cow dung or coal taken from the railways.
In other words, they're unimaginably poor. It was clear from the consultation that she was newly diagnosed with Type 1, was completely illiterate including being unable to read numbers, would not be able to afford any kind of medicine or have the literacy to be able to give the right amount of it should she be able to acquire it. Insulin needs to be refrigerated, which was obviously out of the question...

If I ever feel like comparing my medical condition with someone, I think of her.

For you: just think about some of your advantages.
You live in a country with no war or civil war.
You live in a country not exactly known for earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves or other major natural disasters.
You can turn on a tap and water comes out. And its clean and drinkable and won't give you cholera.
A mosquito bite won't give you malaria.
You can wash your clothes just by chucking them in a machine.
You have education.
And literacy.
And a job.
And children.
And health.

You've caught me in a grumpy mood.

Stop comparing. No good comes of it. Or, if you must compare, then compare yourself with the vast majority of humanity who has life much harder than you and feel grateful for how lucky you are.

JamSandle · 08/12/2023 12:15

First rule of life: it isn't fair.

Not an easy pill to swallow, but things are easier once you do.

Count your blessings...which are still many.

notlucreziaborgia · 08/12/2023 12:14

SalmonWellington · 08/12/2023 11:50

There's jealousy - doesn't help anyone - and there's recognising that we've built an unfair society.

Properly applied (ie without loopholes) inheritance tax may be the single best measure to make the country fairer.

The usual criticism is that it isn't fair because you've already paid tax on that money doesn't hold up. 1) On that logic if you pay alcohol duty on a pint that you buy with taxed income you're also paying twice. 2) That's how tax works. I pay income tax; the state spends money on roads, hospitals and all that: because of that spending I can work and pay more income tax. It all keeps on going round.

Not in you want to encourage economic growth, and attract wealth and what it brings with it. The net outflow of wealthy individuals from the UK is the third highest in the world, and it’s a problem. While some of course stay, there’s not enough staying that can plug the gap. They’re also not a bottomless source of funds. So the result of this is an ever increasing burden on those who can’t afford it, and public services facing inevitable collapse.

’Just increase taxes!’ as a knee jerk and ideological reaction doesn’t actually mean an increase in tax revenue, and in fact can mean the reverse.

bellsandwhistles333 · 08/12/2023 12:08

I'm sure there is someone you know that looks at your family and is jealous of some element of your life :)
It's a natural thing to feel but don't let it eat away at you

SalmonWellington · 08/12/2023 11:50

There's jealousy - doesn't help anyone - and there's recognising that we've built an unfair society.

Properly applied (ie without loopholes) inheritance tax may be the single best measure to make the country fairer.

The usual criticism is that it isn't fair because you've already paid tax on that money doesn't hold up. 1) On that logic if you pay alcohol duty on a pint that you buy with taxed income you're also paying twice. 2) That's how tax works. I pay income tax; the state spends money on roads, hospitals and all that: because of that spending I can work and pay more income tax. It all keeps on going round.

Mihijita · 08/12/2023 11:48

To be honest it doesn’t really bother me. Life can change in an instant and I focus on how far I have come and what I have. I only have a small house but I bought it alone with no help. I was homeless for a time in my teens so this is huge to me. I also work in healthcare so I’m very aware of the value of good health. My most wealthy patient was working on their deathbed - family wasn’t around. Money doesn’t mean everything. I think it doesn’t bother me because I remind myself of this.

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 08/12/2023 11:44

notlucreziaborgia · 08/12/2023 11:37

Exactly. As if any of those negative things are exclusive to the unhappy and wealthy (and as if wealth doesn’t provide the unhappy and wealthy the ability to remove themselves from a terrible situation!). Like I said, generally greater wealth does correlate with greater happiness, so this idea that the wealthy must be miserable in order to pay for their financial health doesn’t even reflect reality:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/does-more-money-correlate-greater-happiness-Penn-Princeton-research

I also find it weird that people are encouraged to find comfort in the thought that someone they’re envious of is miserable. Aside from the fact that it’s frankly pathetic to need to believe that someone better off than you is unhappy in order to make yourself feel good, it’s not actually encouraging anyone to be thankful for what they have, or to improve their own situation - it’s no different to what they were doing in the first place, it’s just swapping being envious and unhappy based on comparing yourself unfavorably to someone else, to being happy based on comparing yourself favorably to someone else. How about focus on yourself and your own life if you’re unhappy, and quit concerning yourself with how anyone else is doing in comparison?

It's not encouraging people to be happy someone else is miserable. Its reminding people that other people's lives aren't charmed. They only see what they see, they don't know anything. It's recognising that if you want their life, you're not only getting the good, you're getting their bad too. Their lives are different to yours. Different good stuff and different bad stuff. Not better.

notlucreziaborgia · 08/12/2023 11:37

usedtobeasizeten · 08/12/2023 06:27

You see it ALL the time on here! Maybe they’re in an unhappy marriage, maybe it’s all on credit and they’re up to their eyes in debt, maybe there are health struggles you are not aware of…..or, just maybe, it’s all as fabulous and glamorous as it looks!! Why do people do that? It sounds so bitter….

Exactly. As if any of those negative things are exclusive to the unhappy and wealthy (and as if wealth doesn’t provide the unhappy and wealthy the ability to remove themselves from a terrible situation!). Like I said, generally greater wealth does correlate with greater happiness, so this idea that the wealthy must be miserable in order to pay for their financial health doesn’t even reflect reality:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/does-more-money-correlate-greater-happiness-Penn-Princeton-research

I also find it weird that people are encouraged to find comfort in the thought that someone they’re envious of is miserable. Aside from the fact that it’s frankly pathetic to need to believe that someone better off than you is unhappy in order to make yourself feel good, it’s not actually encouraging anyone to be thankful for what they have, or to improve their own situation - it’s no different to what they were doing in the first place, it’s just swapping being envious and unhappy based on comparing yourself unfavorably to someone else, to being happy based on comparing yourself favorably to someone else. How about focus on yourself and your own life if you’re unhappy, and quit concerning yourself with how anyone else is doing in comparison?

Does more money correlate with greater happiness? | Penn Today

Reconciling previously contradictory results, researchers from Penn and Princeton find a steady association between larger incomes and greater happiness for most people but a rise and plateau for an unhappy minority.

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/does-more-money-correlate-greater-happiness-Penn-Princeton-research

toomuchfaff · 08/12/2023 11:34

Envy is the thief of joy.

Simply put you will never be happy when you compare your life to others. Someone else will ALWAYS have more stuff than you. So, you cant remove that problem, the only way you can have an impact on this situation is by amending your thoughts; you need to stop the thoughts of envy as soon as they start; quite literally - as soon as one starts to come in your head imagine it encased in a balloon, and then pop it. Keep doing it until the thought is gone. Don't progress any thoughts of envy. Think about other stuff; anything - how the sun shines through the blinds, why does your right foot twist when you walk... anything.

BlurpBlorp · 08/12/2023 10:56

ALSO... in my line of work I have to interact with wealthy families. It's a real problem for families whose kids are born into money, that they end up spoilt and demanding and in some cases like the Getty's, turn to drugs and addictions as they don't necessarily need to strive for anything as they've already got it. Check this awful thing out https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/family-tears-itself-apart-in-feud-over-ps17m-of-jewels-and-artwork-a3511536.html and the parents wrote a book about it https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trust-Not-Loves-Labours-Family/dp/1786069539

Family tears itself apart in feud over £17m of jewels and artwork

A property magnate and his wife are at loggerheads with their children over £17 million of jewels, antiques and artwork at the family’s stately home.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/family-tears-itself-apart-in-feud-over-ps17m-of-jewels-and-artwork-a3511536.html

BlurpBlorp · 08/12/2023 10:48

It's tricky OP but as others have said; envy is the death of joy. Just stop and breathe when you feel the feeling tightening. It'll pass.

My partner is a migrant. He's had such a difficult life but he's hugely grateful for what he has. The fact that he's even in this country is a massive boost to him and he's amazed at the opportunities here and the chance to be able to provide/contribute. He loves this country and my point is, it's easy to take our privilege for granted. Try and find the small things you wouldn't otherwise notice; feeling safe to walk down the street, as a woman having the chance to be educated and work, your health...

Other people are on their own path, with their own demons. Plus you never know what's really going on behind closed doors. Plus, if they've achieved all that at their age - surely they don't have much to strive for? Ricky Gervais said that he's glad he was born poor as rich people will never know the joy/satisfaction of striving and achieving and bettering yourself by your own hand.

Morewineplease10 · 08/12/2023 10:44

Life isn't fair sadly op!
It's great that you are recognising and challenging your feelings.

Their bubble might burst one day but I bet you aren't the type that would take any satisfaction in that.

Everyone has good and bad things in their lives. Material things are just one component of life.

Ohthatsfabulousdarling · 08/12/2023 10:36

I think that everyone has their "hard" which we don't necessarily see.
Whilst you got there independently as a couple, it's possible that this couple were gi en a fair bit of help, and might be seen as the poor, or irresponsible relatives that needed bailing out. For all you know, they live with any help they've had hung over their heads, and are constantly reminded.

No ones life is perfect.

If that fails to satisfy, thinking of the positives you do get to enjoy, or focusing on how you can ensure that life is easier for the next generation is positive.

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost · 08/12/2023 10:35

Comparison is the thief of joy!

are they happy underneath it all?

who knows.

I know a couple who to the outside world project a luxury lifestyle, one came from a wealthy background, but in reality, they are up to their eyeballs in debt with credit cards galore.

if you analysed their socials you’d think they were the happiest couple ever, declaring their love for each other at every opportunity, but I’m also aware that their marriage was going through an absolute shitshow during some of the times they were “enjoying” themselves so much.

things aren’t always what they seem.

also, you’ll have a greater appreciation and sense of achievement than they ever will.

Hibye23289 · 08/12/2023 10:30

And I wish I could buy a house, mid 30s, newly single from husband who destroyed our house deposit and now I feel I have no hope in getting one. This post has pissed me off, you have the main things in life but you are upset you are not lavish. Try not owning a house or maybe think how people might feel if they can't have kids. God and you've got a husband. Materialistic and spoilt.

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/12/2023 10:28

That’s life.

cunningartificer · 08/12/2023 10:26

I absolutely agree that this is a very common feeling and that comparison is the thief of joy, especially in social media world. I'm sure that everyone like me knows people who put their best face forward on social media so that a difficult life can look very perfect... but it's hard all the same. I also agree that it's just not good for you to be secretly ill-wishing people or imagining their secret trauma to make up for their ideal lives. I suggest two things. One, follow a few people on Instagram like hannahvsetzer who have real difficulties but are lovely and inspiring and funny, two, look down not up. When I felt jealous of my friends with big houses I remember picking up from my childminder and just thinking what a gorgeous happy home she had. It was far smaller than mine at the time but I don't think she wasted her life by being jealous of my extra space. I learned a lot from her about how to appreciate what I had. It's genuinely practice, like Affirmation. If you practice negative thoughts you'll feel negative, if you practice grateful thoughts they'll start to come naturally. Works with children who've had a hard day as well: "tell me three good things that happened today" often refocused and cheered them, even if one of the good things was as simple as not burning the toast!

AnImaginaryCat · 08/12/2023 08:17

You say you practice gratitude, which is good, but do you properly meditate gratitude? Practice affirmation? Also more importantly do you practice gratitude for the things you feel the envy about?

As has been said, "comparison is the the theift of joy". So you need to look at your home and your joy and find the joy in them. What are the postives? What could you do, realistically, to improve how you feel? Find a postive and focus on that and be grateful for it.

It is quite difficult to probably practice gratitude. Least when you first start as you'll been trying to switch for a negative mindset to a positive one. But each time a negative thought enters your head, recognise it as negative and turn it around into a positive.

I wouldn't do the "they have [whatever you envy] but they might be [something bad]", such "they have a bigger house, but they might be icrippled by their energy bills" as thus is a negative thought. You could think though things about yourself such as "if we had a bigger house, our energy bills would be much higher. I am very grateful ours are not".

ChristmasFluff · 08/12/2023 08:03

I grew up very poor, and fat and ugly. I'd sometimes find myself wishing I could be one of my friends - but then I'd think "Yeah, but if I was her, I wouldn't be a good reader / I would have to live in a house that smells of wee / I wouldn't be able to play out whenever I wanted / I'd always be worst at maths"

There was always a reason why I really didn't want to swap my life with anyone else. So perhaps that's why I naturally grew up not being envious. I think try that. Put yourself fully in the other person's position. You'd have to shag a man who looks like a frog, or you'd have a horrible commute or.... whatever. There's ALWAYS something - and you can't have one aspect of a person's life without having it all.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 08/12/2023 07:45

Go and volunteer with people who are really having a difficult time. That should help you to put things into perspective.

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 08/12/2023 07:27

@user1471548941 I gey this totally. I have friends who tell me I'm SO LUCKY to have the job I do. Like I just woke up one day with it and haven't worked my ass off for years to get it.

user1471548941 · 08/12/2023 07:04

Myself and DH sound like your work colleague from afar- just bought a lovely period house and are doing it up and still have a very nice lifestyle.

  • I come from a wealthy LOOKING family but my parents don’t believe in sharing that so they have never given me a penny. I lived at home all through uni and the first few years of my career, despite it being a very stressful situation, in order to buy my first house at 24.
  • I had 0 disposable income once I did and every penny went into the house.
  • Met DH and the house I had been stretched to run on 1 salary became very comfortable on 2, allowing us to save.
  • DH brought savings to the relationship as he comes from a socially deprived background and therefore had spent 10 years long term single and focussing on his career in order to achieve financial stability.
  • My house + his savings = lovely new house.
  • I have a long term condition that means children aren’t an option for us, therefore we could buy a house that was period and charming over needing a certain amount of rooms etc.
  • Both working 50+ hours per week developing our careers with no need to get home for children etc. Definitely helps us push our income up.
  • We alternate our disposable income each month between lifestyle/holidays and home improvements- therefore it looks like we are doing a lot!

I had friends who got jealous and think I’m “lucky” whereas actually me and DH both spent a number of years single and working on our financial priorities because we came from DIFFICULT circumstances, not easy ones. I am now SO grateful for how it’s set us up in life but through a large part of that I was the jealous one- jealous of the ones who had met partners and were settling down together. I was lonely and doing life alone in a sea of moving in together and engagements was tough. Today I am grateful for our financial stability but MORE grateful to have a lovely DH to come home to each night and would love to have met him earlier.