This post is definitely calling me out. I often like to play it safe to avoid rejection. But sometimes, taking a leap of faith and learning from rejection can be a good thing.
Handling rejection can be tough. It doesn’t matter whether it is your crush who isn’t responding, or whether you got rejected by your dream school; rejection really hurts. It can make you feel like you are not good enough and can lower your self esteem, if not appropriately handled. On the bright side, rejection may be a sign that you are taking risks, which may be a good thing, because risks are often required in order to achieve success.
As difficult as it may seem, it is possible to handle rejection without letting it get to you. Here are some tips you can follow.
Express Your Feelings
The worst thing you can do with feelings of rejection is keep them bottled up, thinking they will go away eventually. That rarely happens. The more you try to avoid your feelings, the worse they tend to become over time. Acknowledge your disappointment, frustration or sadness. Talk to a trusted friend or family member and share how you feel. Talking about it will help you understand the issue and make way for solving it. The person you speak to may also have experienced some form of rejection in the past. What they learned from their experience may be helpful to you. If you don’t want to talk to anyone, write your feelings in a journal. Or just cry it out until you feel better :) . But, don’t try to ignore your feelings, as nothing good will come out of it.
Be Kind To Yourself
You may feel like your only option is to wallow in your feelings of rejection like that tragic heroine from your favorite musical. But , that isn't true. Allow yourself to get in touch with your feelings; acknowledge them; then, refocus your energy and start being kind to yourself. Do not beat yourself down because you lost the vote for that club position, or your invite to the prom was turned down. When you are going through a difficult phase, such as the aftermath of rejection, it is normal to replay the scenario in your mind a million times, with a million different what ifs. Make a decision not to do this. Accept that you can't change the past. Instead, focus your energy on ways to learn and grow from the experience. Affirm yourself, with positive statements, acknowledging your good qualities. Do some things that you enjoy. Order some pizza and put on a funny movie on Netflix. Or better yet, get out of your pajamas and hit the gym. Hang out with some friends. Spend time with those who love and appreciate you. Take part in hobbies or extracurricular activities. Do whatever makes you happy, even if it doesn't seem like a great idea in the beginning.
Your Self-Worth Should not Depend on Other People or Things.
Do not allow negative events or circumstances to define you. The fact that someone did not select you for something does not mean you are not good enough. It might just be that something else or someone else would be a better fit for you. Sometimes, disappointments turn out to be blessings in disguise. Learn from your experience and use it as a springboard to self improvement.
Let It Go
This is the toughest and the most important part of handling rejection. Keep a positive outlook. Perhaps the future holds better things for you, especially if you learn lessons from the your experience of rejection. When we go through difficult situations, we build resilience and gain wisdom. There may be other great opportunities that you aren't able to see because you are too hung up on the past rejection. The only way you can embrace all the new possibilities ahead is by letting go of the past.
Remember what they say: ‘When a door closes, a window opens.’
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Tiffney