How to Manage Fear of Rejection

When we feel we’ve been rejected, it can harm our self-esteem and make us doubt ourselves. A fear of rejection can make us reluctant to keep trying. How can we press on when rejection feels so bad?

Rejection is part of the human experience.

First, accept that the unpleasant feelings of rejection are part of the human experience. Rather than fight the feelings, accept them as valid. Move on to self-compassion so that you provide yourself with empathy to lessen the sting of rejection. However, be wary of assuming that the rejection is a reflection of you as a person.

How personally you take the rejection determines how difficult it feels.

If you conclude that the rejection is about you as a person, it will be difficult to gather up the motivation to continue. If you instead decide that the rejection was about a combination of what you were offering and the needs of the person who said no to your offer, you can cultivate a more objective perspective. This attitude is less harmful to your self-esteem and more helpful to your motivation.

Keep your eye on your goal.

Keeping your focus on your goal will help to take the focus off of feeling that the rejection was personal and help maintain a forward-thinking direction. Whatever it is that you’ve been rejected for, if it’s worth going after, find another way to get there.

When one door closes, look to other doors. Assess how you’re going about reaching your goal: what can you learn from the rejection? How can you adjust your approach on your next attempt?

Every ‘no’ brings you closer to your ‘yes’ – Les Brown

Expect rejection. It’s part of the process of going after your goal. It’s a test of your perseverance. If your goal is worth going after, you owe it to yourself to keep trying. Dust yourself off, take a deep breathe and keep going.