# Jealousy and Envy are often confused --- When we talk about being “jelly,” we're really talking about envy. It may seem pedantic, but using them synonymously can cause miscommunication and misunderstandings. They truly are distinctly different emotions that arise in distinctly different situations. - Pause and take a minute to imagine your coworker winning the lottery, whether they deserve it or not. Really, feel it. Notice how your body responds. This is [[💡 Envy|envy]]. - Now imagine your best friend of many years suddenly having little time for you because they’re spending it with a new friend of theirs. Again, let the feeling sink in and notice how your body responds. Now you’re [[💡 Jealousy|jelly]]. They don’t feel the same, do they? Envy is a stinging, sometimes bitter yearning for something someone else has. It’s also one of the “seven deadly sins,” can inspire [[💡 Shame|shame]], and doesn’t have a cute-sounding alternative — it’s got a rocky reputation. But envy is perfectly normal and not *necessarily* a red flag. It certainly isn’t some kind of personal failure. If we're feeling jealous because our partner is out with someone we feel intimidated by and our friend thinks jealousy and envy are the same, they might say, "Why are you jealous? They're **your** partner." But that is exactly *why* we're jealous! Jealousy is an anxious fear of losing connection someone we love or respect. It’s more closely related to [[💡 Fear|fear]] and [[💡 Anxiety|anxiety]] than it is to [[💡 Envy|envy]]. [^1]: