As humans, we all encounter rejection at some point in our life. However, the way in which people deal with that rejection will vary.
For some, even the fear of rejection being a possibility can prove to be too much. This results in an increase in anxiety levels and even the development of avoidance behaviors that inhibit the ability to live a normal life. It may even indicate another potential disorder whereby this fear is merely a symptom of something greater.
All this then begs the question, how do you overcome the fear of rejection? Well, there are several steps that we can follow that will make life easier for us in these areas.
1. Realize That it Will Happen
Unless you become a hermit, then you will encounter rejection. There needs to be a certain sense of accepting that this will happen and there is nothing that you can do to stop it.
You are powerless over this. There’s no doubt that it will hurt. but you are not immune from rejection. Nor are you too special to not encounter it at any point. With any kind of anxiety, these types of realizations can reduce the impact it has on you. By diluting its power, you can take steps towards embracing it as a challenge rather than shying away from it.
2. Become Aware of Where Rejection Can Occur
You are probably reading this because you know you have a fear of rejection and so should be able to see what situations cause it.
What you need to do is to understand the different areas in your life where rejection is a real possibility. It doesn’t matter what the size or scale of the rejection at this point as I just want you to know where it may occur.
Why I want you to think about this is to limit the number of potential opportunities where you may be rejected. When you have an overwhelming fear of something, then the last thing you want is to expose yourself to a number of occasions or situations where your fears and anxieties are at the fore.
By reducing the number of times you can expose yourself to your fear in a controlled manner. It allows you to encounter it, deal with your reaction and then see how you can move forward in a positive way.
3. Change Your Perception Of What Rejection Actually Means
We give too much power to the word, ‘rejection’ and that in itself is a problem. Too often, the idea of rejection is that it represents something that’s final in nature, but that shouldn’t always happen.
Instead, we change our perception of what the word means. We can then make it less daunting and allow ourselves to have a growth mindset. This is more advantageous than one that is fixated on the idea of being unable to change, which results in our fear being able to overwhelm us at any point.
We tend to see rejection as representing the end of a particular road but, could we instead start to view it as being something else?
If you are rejected when applying for a job, maybe you should view it more as saving you from dealing with an arrogant individual who would have made your life a misery. Being rejected by that individual you made advances towards could be more of a reflection on them rather than on you. Would you want a life where they snapped at you at any moment?
Just because rejection indicates that one door closed does not have to mean that every door or avenue is like that. Instead, you must remain willing to push open new doors whenever opportunities arise.
4. Reflect On Previous Rejections
Hindsight is wonderful, but it can also help you to overcome the fear of rejection in the hear and now. Look at the times where you felt the full force of being rejected using one of the top 10 headlamps available and then see what then followed in your life.
That job you wanted but failed to get hardly appears on your radar as you love what you do now. That person at the bar is a non-entity as you are in a wonderful relationship now where you are more than happy.
Reflecting on previous rejections and realizing that things actually worked out well can certainly make it easier to deal with things in the present. Understand that it’s not always about something that you did and that rejection cannot hold you back.
5. Become Resilient
Taking confidence from your previous reactions will mean you become more resilient to the concept of fear. Also, having a plan in place to deal with rejection is a good idea. It means you know what to do rather than slumping in a corner completely dejected.
Resilience builds a tougher skin that can become impenetrable. It increases self-esteem and an inner confidence that allows you to brush off one mishap knowing something positive is around the corner. Becoming resilient, rather than throwing in the towel, improves your mindset leading to a more proactive approach to life. Overcoming the fear of rejection is connected to removing its power and accepting that it will happen again just as it has before. However, you survived and you will again, so it’s not going to bring everything crashing down like you feared. In the end, your fear is the biggest source of rejection as it inhibits your ability to live life in the way that you wanted.