Jealousy can be a hard emotion to deal with. It’s one that we have to keep a close hold on because otherwise it can become like a fire that burns us up. Your husband choose YOU. He is with you, not her. If looking at the pictures makes you hurt, why are you looking at them? Are they photos in an album or does your husband have photos of his ex on display? If it’s pictures in an album it’s easy. Stop opening the album. Agree with your heart that looking at those pictures is not healthy for you or for your marriage and put the album down. By looking at them you are driving a knife into your own heart and you don’t need to do that.

If your husband has pictures of his ex wife on display in your house then you need to talk to him about that. Does he know that the photos are hurtful for you? Is there another reason that the images are up – i.e. are there children in the photos as well? If so, suggest that perhaps the photos of the children with their mother stay in the child’s room rather than in the common areas of the house where you are forced to see them every day. Be honest with your husband. Tell him how the pictures make you feel and ask him to take them down. How would he feel if you had photographs of you and an ex-boyfriend put up around the house?

As much as you can, try not to compare your situation with the ex-wife’s. No two loves are going to be identical. Love is always a unique experience that exists between the two lovers. What do you gain by focussing on this past love? Instead, turn your heart toward making your own marriage the very best it can be. Focus on your family and not the family that came before you. Marriage is always work – it’s supposed to be work. So spend that effort on things that will strengthen your marriage and leave the past alone.