How to Deal with Rejection

Everyone feels rejected or a sense of rejection at least sometime in their life. Then there are those who frequently feel rejected. There is a difference in actually being rejected and 'feeling' a sense of rejection. Sometimes a situation is misinterpreted and causes a person to believe they are being rejected in some way.

It really depends on the individual and the circumstances. Some people misinterpret something that has been said or done and take it as a personal rejection. Others may have an ingrained sense of rejection, stemming from childhood or other issues, which causes them to be overly sensitive. They may even feel rejected with something as simple as a cashier at a store not saying hello. While their feelings are real, their feelings may not be accurate in proportion to the situation.

There are those who may have had a very painful experience, such as being abandoned from a long-term relationship and they've never dealt with those feelings. Some who are adopted may feel a great deal of rejection. They may carry this feeling into adulthood, not fully understanding why their biological parents, gave them up.

The smallest issue that comes up in daily life may cause feelings of rejection to resurface. The feelings are real, but the current circumstance may be highly misinterpreted. In other words, there may not be an issue of actual rejection at all.

In order to deal with the rejection in daily life, one needs to understand where the feelings come from. They need to understand, if they are indeed, being rejected or if they are highly sensitive to what feels like rejection because of past issues. A lot of hard feelings can arise from misinterpreting what is transpiring. Some relationships end because one person feels drained by the other person constantly feeling rejected and having to prove to them they are worthy.

Tips for Dealing with Rejection

*  Don't assume! If you are rejected for a job, a relationship or whatever the case, don't assume you are the problem. Don't assume you are inadequate. You have to push past the event and never give up. We aren't for everyone and everyone isn't for us. We won't always land every job, but there is one out there for us. Being rejected does not mean we don't hold great value or great abilities.

*  Don't blow rejection out of proportion. You may not have landed one job, but this does not mean your employment future is doomed. If someone has rejected you for a relationship, this does not mean you will never find the person of your dreams.

*  Don't allow rejection to prevent you from living your dreams and passions. Don't put up a door between you and life when there doesn't have to be one. Persevere past that door and past any rejection that gets in your way.

*  Learn from rejection. If someone abandoned you in a relationship, look at what transpired between the two of you. Did you bring negativity into the relationship? Was the other person a loser to begin with and you ignored it? Maybe you were an ideal partner and they simply didn't have what it takes to value a wonderful person. Rejection is not always a reflection of you, personally. It may be the ignorance of another person who failed to see your value.

*  Build yourself up in a way that you never doubt your value, a way that being rejected will not alter what you think and feel about yourself. Don't just occupy your time, but learn to LIVE. Involve yourself in hobbies you enjoy. Surround yourself with positive people who appreciate the person you are. Help others. Offering of ourselves causes a sense of well-being. Live life with purpose and embrace your uniqueness. Live your life based on a firm belief system.

Rejection hurts, no matter if it's from something seemingly small or more significant. But, the way we deal with rejection makes a big difference in whether we allow it to define us or if we use it to learn from and move on to better things.

If you feel rejection on a regular basis, this may be a sign you have unresolved issues to deal with. It may seem the world around is constantly finding fault with you, when the reality is, they aren't. In order to be emotionally healthy and have healthy relationships, these issues need to be addressed. You can allow rejection to stop you in your tracks or kick the fire out of it and move onward.