Who has never experienced rejection? The answer is nobody. Even the most successful people have experienced rejection once or twice in their lives. Whether it’s at work, in love, or from a friend or family member, rejection stings. Discover the best ways to process rejection and how to move on after a negative experience.
Get Familiar with the Various Types of Rejection
Not all experiences with rejection are the same, and some hurt worse than others. Professional rejection can happen when you don’t land your dream job, when you’re passed over for a raise you deserve, or when your boss dismisses your ideas. Dealing with a few instances of professional rejection over the course of your career is inevitable, but constant rejection in the workplace can make you doubt your professional qualifications.
Romantic rejection can happen when someone turns you down for a date, says “no” to your advances, or breaks up with you. Even if you don’t expect your love life to go smoothly all the time, getting rejected by a partner or a love interest can feel like a slap in the face.
Perhaps the most damaging type of dismissal, parental rejection can start when you’re young and may last for decades. From abandonment and abuse to simply withholding affection, instances of parental rejection can affect virtually every part of your life.
How Rejection Can Affect You
If you’ve ever felt hurt by rejection, you aren’t alone. In fact, it might affect you more than you think. Many people consider rejection a mental obstacle, but it may present more of a physical issue than most people realize. Studies have shown that rejection affects the part of your brain that process physical pain, prompting a painkiller response.
If rejection has caused you what feels like physical pain, it’s not all in your head. While follow-up studies have shown that painkillers can help lessen the impact of rejection, there are healthier and more productive ways to process this experience.
Best Ways to Process Rejection
When you’re working through these tough feelings, it’s important to realize that rejection isn’t always about you. Instead, it’s just as likely that the other person’s issues led to the rejection. Perhaps your partner had a bad day at work and doesn’t have the energy to give you the attention you want, or maybe the interviewer at your dream place of employment knew you wouldn’t be the right fit for the company. Either way, it’s rarely helpful to make yourself the center of the experience.
Instead, set your ego aside, take this accurate psychic advice to heart, and learn to identify ways you can turn a rejection into a positive occurrence. Did the experience give you a new perspective on yourself, or can it help you redefine your goals and needs? Could losing out on one opportunity open the door to another option that’s even better? Seeking ways to benefit from rejection will help you process the negative feelings and move on quickly.
Feeling rejected may not be easy at first. With the help of a psychic network or supportive family and friends, you can better understand rejection and make impressive personal progress.