What to Do When Your Best Friend Becomes Jealous

Most of us are lucky enough to have a best friend, and the benefits of this friendship far outweigh the negative aspects, especially when so many common interests are shared. Women in particular are attached to their best friends, some to the point of where they feel protective of them, but what happens when jealousy interferes, when your best friend becomes jealous of a new friend, especially one who is becoming just as close to you?

Is there anything you can do to approach your friend and still keep the friendship intact? Jealousy between two best friends is difficult to handle, especially when you’re caught in the middle, but there are ways you can avoid a potentially explosion when jealousy caused by insecurity and a lack of understanding threatens to light the fuse.

Insecurity is one of the main causes of jealously between friends. When people are insecure, it quickly turns to jealousy, especially where a best friend is concerned. When a new friend comes into the picture, your best friend might fear that she is no longer fun, exciting, or worthy to be with. Even if this is not the case, it is difficult to convince her otherwise. The surest signs of this insecurity are passive-aggressive comments such as, “Why aren’t you with your new best friend?” or, “Why is she texting you again; doesn’t she have a life?”

While this kind of behavior is hard to handle, and your first reaction will probably be to get angry, it is better to steer the conversation in a positive direction. Tell her that your new friend is interested in what you’re both up to and that she’d even like to join you sometime. While this might be met with resistance from your best friend at first, if you’re persistent, having them meet is one tactic when it comes to diffusing jealousy. Insecure people fear the unknown, so the more she gets to know your new friend, the better.

“What do you see in her?” This is something else you might hear from your best friend regarding the new person in your life, especially if you don’t share the same things in common with this person that you do with her. Best friends usually have many things in common, but with that new friend, you might share a common interest that your best friend has never cared for. This can quickly cause jealousy to crop up, especially if your best friend fears that she will lose you over the interest you share with the other friend or if she feels shut out.

While you might be tempted to share this interest among the three of you, your best friend may feel forced into it and feelings of jealously may intensify. Instead, make time for each of them, and let your best friend know that even though you share another interest with your new friend, she will never lose you. Jealousy among friends is never easy to handle, but with patience and understanding, you can find a balance between old friends and new alike.