Envy is information. It’s pointing at something you want and haven’t admitted yet.

Envy points at something specific, which is what makes it worth reading rather than crushing. It does not fire at random. It goes off when somebody has a thing you want and have not yet said you want, usually because wanting it out loud feels unrealistic or faintly embarrassing. The feeling is unpleasant and the information inside it tends to be accurate.

Next time it hits, write down what exactly you envied, the thing rather than the person. Then ask what a first step toward it would look like for you. The feeling usually quiets once you start moving.