Have you met a single person who hasn’t faced rejection? No, right? Because it is inevitable in life and part of the human experience.
Whether in relationships, job interviews, or social situations, rejection comes unannounced, and there isn’t much we can do about it. All we can do is improve our emotional responses as we evolve with time and experiences. There’s no denying that rejection hurts like hell, but know there are constructive ways to deal with it.
As you continue to grow in your experiences, it will become much easier for you not to take it personally and understand the hidden factors that play behind the scenes. This comes with experience and requires your conscious interference to grow from the pain and discomfort you experience from rejection.
What is Rejection, and Why does it hurt?
Rejection often comes as a lack of acceptance. Whenever we don’t get the anticipated response or face dismissal of our feelings, opinions, and behaviors, it can trigger feelings of disappointment, hurt, and insecurity.
When we face rejection from someone or something, many underlying factors are at play. We don’t have to take it personally. In fact, when we say that time builds our understanding, it is the change in perception that helps us avoid feeling bad about negative instances, let alone rejection.
Rejection often leaves a deep wound within us because it strikes at our fundamental desire for belonging. Also, whenever we face rejection, we perceive it as a direct attack on our worth, which causes us further discomfort and discontentment.
Ways to Handle Rejection
Do you often succumb to the feelings of hopelessness and cage yourself in a cocoon after facing rejection? Here’s how you can expand your perspective and choose to live on the other side of pessimism and sadness.
#1: Acknowledge Your Real Feelings
You may think acknowledging your feelings makes you weak and vulnerable. At this stage, we are tempted to build our broken confidence by denying our actual feelings (because they don’t feel good). Do you think this is the right way to go about it? Obviously not.
First things first, acknowledging your emotions is the prime stage of building yourself from within. When you make it a point to embrace the way you feel, no matter how unpleasant it may be, you are laying the foundation for personal growth and emotional resilience. Expanding your understanding to the point where rejection feels like an inherent part of life is when you have learned to approach it in the right manner.
SHOP ON AMAZON#2: Strengthen Your Grounding
When we say strengthen your grounding, we mean building emotional endurance. Our response to rejection is all that matters. When we accept it as a part of life and try to move on with grace and contentment, this is when we manifest better things in life. So, let’s understand what it takes to root for yourself.
When you’re already experiencing emotional turmoil, it is of the utmost importance to involve yourself in activities that soothe your emotional state. Practice deep breathing ,meditation, and mindfulness to reach a stable emotional state.
#3: Build Your Support System
Handling rejection often gets easier with time. When our outlook is broadened, and we realize this isn’t something that is solely happening to us, we mature emotionally and develop a deeper understanding of emotional resilience. If you can’t lift yourself up and feel the need to get outside support, don’t shy away from relying on your friends and family. It will help you broaden your perspective, and eventually, you will be able to look beyond your feelings. You can also join like-minded communities and share your concerns with a trusted group of people. Looking outside ourselves and understanding how the world is operating brings us the mental clarity and peace of mind we crave.
#4: Focus on Self-Care
After you’ve experienced the displeasing episode of rejection, try to bring your focus on self-care. Understand that you are in a vulnerable position, and it becomes all the more important to stand by your side and do all it takes to make yourself feel better.
You can give yourself new thoughts and involve yourself in activities like reading, painting, watching a new movie, and other enjoyable activities to take your mind off negative and pessimistic thoughts. Remind yourself that rejection is a universal experience, and it doesn’t define your worth. You can invest your time and energy in taking care of yourself in ways that you find fulfilling and rejuvenating, whether through engaging in hobbies, practicing mindfulness, exercising, or spending quality time with loved ones.
#5: Evaluate your Experience
After you’ve done everything to uplift yourself emotionally and mentally, don’t lose the opportunity to reflect on your experience. Learning from mistakes and expanding your understanding becomes easier when you reflect on instances that gave you a hard time. When you do this, you’ll be amazed to note that there’s always a hidden lesson for you to learn. This is where we stop shying away from negative instances.
Let’s examine it using a case study. George, a marketing professional with five years of experience, aggressively searched for a job. Despite his impressive background, he was shaken after facing several rejections. For a brief period, he lost all his motivation and even stopped applying to potential companies.
Later, he decided to conduct a critical analysis, setting aside his disappointment, and discovered that his resume didn’t accurately reflect his skills and qualifications. He revised his resume to incorporate new upgrades and noticed an immediate improvement in the number of calls he received from companies.
Conclusion
Rejection is something that we all face. The underlying message is to build resilience within ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we have to have our fair share of negative experiences, and there’s no way to find an escape. When we gulp it down and understand the universality of phenomena like rejection and heartbreak, we grow in our understanding and evolve to the next level of life. This is when we build a strong character within and understand the true meaning of life. By transitioning in the ways discussed above, we can swiftly move through the phase of rejection and carve better life experiences for ourselves.
FAQs
Do not run or find an escape from your pain. When you allow yourself to feel your emotions and give yourself time to heal, you’ll naturally progress to the stage of recovery. It might take some time, so try to be patient with yourself. Also, refrain from hurting yourself with your judgemental thoughts and opinions. When you commit to your healing and practice self-compassion, you’ll soon overcome the pain and hurt of rejection.
It’s perfectly alright. Your peace of mind doesn’t depend on getting closure from the person who made you experience rejection. Even if you don’t get closure from their side, know that your power lies within you. And when you commit to your healing, nothing can stop you from reclaiming your lost joy and vitality.
Yes. Facing rejection is often an unpleasant experience. It blows away our self-esteem and makes us fall into the pitfall of self-doubt. So, if, in the initial stage of rejection, you are feeling discouraged and dejected, it’s perfectly fine to feel that way. Do not push away your actual feelings in order to uplift your mood. Sit with it, and soon, you’ll overcome it once and for all.
It all starts with expanding your perspective and understanding of life. Facing rejection doesn’t only mean your non-acceptance. You can start by giving yourself the required comfort. Once you are in better shape, try to view the outside perspective. It will allow you to infuse new thoughts and reasons behind the rejection that you faced.
You do not have to make a fool out of yourself. In fact, embrace the situation as it is, and soon, you’ll be fine—because acceptance allows you to process your emotions and move forward with a clearer mind.
What underlying feelings are triggered by rejection according to the guide?
