Case Study

Erik came to us looking to cure his jealousy. This is his story…

Erik and his partner, Anna, have slightly different habits when it comes to social media and it was about to cause major problems within their relationship.

It began to seem as if Anna was becoming more interested in her Instagram and Facebook feed than she was in Eric. He started to feel as if she no longer cared and feelings of jealousy began to arise.

“Your average couple...”

Eric, 32, had been with Anna for close to five years. They moved in together six months after they met and have been engaged for two years. 

“We are pretty much your average couple.” Says Erik, “We met through mutual acquaintances and have both had previous relationships. Since we work in a similar field, we have a lot in common and our interests outside of work complement each other perfectly. 

Whilst we enjoy spending time together enjoying our common interests, we have some of our own passions which we enjoy independently. Anna likes Soccer, while I ride. For me, our relationship is perfect and I cannot imagine my life without Anna.

“My jealousy grew and grew…”

Despite working with computers, Erik is not particularly interested in social media. So when Anna began to spend so much time on Twitter or Facebook, he didn’t understand why. The more time that she spent on social media with her friends, the more jealous that Erik became.

“I thought she seemed more interested in posting pictures and chatting with friends than me.” Says Eric, “At home, she would often spend the evenings by the computer or busy with her mobile. 

My jealousy grew and grew until I felt like myself and our whole relationship was cracking. Eventually, these negative feelings took over my life and I became irritable and controlling. I had disliked who I became and so I couldn’t imagine why Anna would like me.” 

Eric found help online

“I didn’t want the way that I was feeling and my jealousy to sabotage the beautiful relationship I had and so I began to look for help.”

Through a search online, Erick came across Overcomejealouy an online therapy practice which offers counseling and treatments for people suffering from jealousy. After reading about the practice and taking part in the online tests available on the website, he was confident that he had found the people who could help save his relationship. 

Erik contacted Overcomejealousy and took his first steps to living a life free from jealousy. 

“Overcomejealousy showed me that jealousy is just like any other phobia and all phobias are treatable.”

“I understood that my jealousy was not realistic, but I could not stop my head from feeling anxious and on edge all of the time. Overcomejealousy showed me that jealousy is just like any other phobia and all phobias are treatable. 

Something usually triggers the onset of a phobia and in my case, the problem was that I had very low self-esteem. I felt as if Anna was only staying with me out of familiarity and comfort, or in the absence of better alternatives. I couldn’t see why she would actually want me. 

I now know that she loves and wants me for who I am. Through the good, the bad and the ugly (and there is a lot of the latter).” Eric laughs. 

The future's looking bright

“Looking back, I just wish that I had found help sooner. The experience has taught me a lot, mainly that if you are suffering from feelings like I did, it is okay to ask for help. You do not want to lose the person you love over something that can be fixed.

I am lucky enough to have found that help and thanks to 'Overcomejealousy, Anna and I are able to plan for our exciting future together.”

Eric and Anna are now looking to move to a larger home in anticipation of their first child. 

“I always wanted to be a father, but my jealous feelings in the past made me feel as if I was not ready. Now I am free from jealousy, I couldn’t be happier and I cannot wait to start a family with my beautiful fiance.”  

Note: The case study was written by a journalist after a conversation with Erik.

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