Knots slowly begin to fill the stomach, anxiousness arises as time passes and the desire to be better surrounds the mind. Envy takes over.

Envy is an emotion that we all experience at one point in our lives. Jealousy can enter into relationships, whether it is a friendship, romantic or simply a rivalry between siblings.

“Jealousy is wanting what other people have and wanting what you can’t have,” said Kaitlin Orosz, junior political science major. “When a friend gets a new car or a new phone, jealousy can happen.” Orosz’s roommate recently purchased a new touch-screen phone, and Orosz found herself feeling envious.

Even though she is eligible for a new phone in three months, envy found its way into her mind.

Orosz is the oldest of three children and feels the rivalry between and sister and herself. Her sister received scholarships to attend a private boarding school.

“I feel like I get compared to her a lot,” she said. Not only is Orosz feeling envious for a sibling rivalry but also for schooling competition.

David White, sophomore business management major, is the younger of two children. White said he thinks he would enjoy being an only child.

“My parents were more relaxed on my older sister,” he said.

When jealousy enters romantic relationships, it can start to deteriorate; however, White thinks jealousy can exist if both individual views are the same.

“As long as the two people are on the same level and have the same criteria for jealousy, it’s fine,” White said.

He said there is a point, however, when people can get too jealous, making things go sour for many.

When you feel those knots forming in your stomach from envy, realize it is a normal feeling and it can be used as motivation to succeed like Orosz is doing. When you use the right amount of jealousy, like White, relationships will be stable, but if used too much, jealousy will become an enemy.

Contact Caitlin Restelli at [email protected].