Cope with Rejection – Part 2 of 3
To Cope and deal better with rejection – the less it’ll affect you. So how can you build that ability to cope? Here are some ideas:
1) Be Honest: Coping well with rejection involves working with two things: how you feel and what you think. Let’s start with feelings: If you get rejected, acknowledge it to yourself. Don’t try to brush off the hurt or pretend it’s not painful.
2) Become aware of your feelings. Did this rejection upset you a lot? Or just a little? Cry if you want to — it’s a natural way to release emotion. Voice it, admit how you feel but don’t dwell on it. Avoid talking or thinking about it nonstop. Why? Negative thinking influences our expectations and how we act. Getting stuck in a negative outlook might even bring about more rejection. It certainly doesn’t inspire a person to try again.
3) Keep Things in Perspective. Tell yourself: “OK, so I got rejected this time. Maybe next time, I’ll get a ‘yes’ ” or “Oh, well – next? This is what happened now and I don’t like it. It’s not how I wanted things to work out. Think about what you’re good at and what’s good about you. Remember times when you’ve been accepted and had success, when you made the cut, when someone told you “yes.” Think of all the people who like you and support you.
4) Give yourself credit for trying. You took a risk — good for you. Remind yourself that you can handle the rejection. Even though you were turned down now, there will be another opportunity, another time.
5) Get philosophical: Sometimes things happen for reasons we don’t always understand.
I say some things are blessings in disguise and in time, I will realize the reasons why this happened. There can be no fear in knowing ourselves better – our weaknesses make us stronger. Part 3 of our rejection discussion will examine how to use rejection to your advantage.
