Rejection is an issue that every human being faces in his or her life. It may arise in terms of school, jobs, friends, or relationships; but regardless of its origin getting rejected can leave you feeling worthless and confused. As someone who has struggled with rejection in several of these categories, I know firsthand the emotional damage that can occur. It is completely normal to initially feel angry, sad, or disappointed. It is also completely normal to acknowledge and act upon these emotions. However, the mistake that I have made is believing that getting rejected was entirely my fault. From this belief stemmed the feeling of little self worth and an even deeper lack of confidence.
Obviously I am not an expert on this issue, but through first-hand experience I have discovered ways to cope with and quickly get over rejection. The first (and probably the most important) is accepting the fact that the rejection may not always be a direct shot at me as a person. At some point, I realized that being chosen for things, in any aspect of your life, involves a little bit of luck. Once I learned to stop taking rejection so personally, it allowed me to move forward.
After getting rejected, a common reaction is to sulk around and feel sorry for yourself. This is something that I was especially good at, but it always resulted in me feeling worse about the situation and myself. After any failure or rejection, I highly recommend devoting your time to doing something that you love. Being immersed in activity helps keep your mind off the situation. I also recommend being with people that you love. Do not sulk in isolation but surround yourself with positive people and feed off their energy.
The final thing that has allowed me to better deal with rejection is coming to the realization that something better is always waiting on the other side. I know that in the moment, being rejected is the worse feeling in the world causing emotional and sometimes even physical pain. But it is critical to always stay positive and not let rejection prevent you from trying again. As the saying goes, “when one door closes another one opens” something that I know is true. Moving forward is hard, but amazing things are always just around the corner.
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