How To Deal With Rejection

Remember the good old days when you demanded toys from your parents as a kid and got 'no' as an answer? Or the day you decided to go on a Goa trip, and all your friends decided to cancel the plan? 

There might be many such small instances when you get to hear 'No' when you ask for something. But what if you got rejected in more critical situations? Have you already faced such rejection? Are you looking for answers to deal with your most recent rejection? Or are you someone who is hesitating to ask for something because you are afraid you'll get to hear a 'No'? 

Well then, you are at the right place. Read on to learn more about rejection, the types of rejection, why we humans fear rejection and the ways to deal with rejection. 

What is Rejection?

In simple words, rejection can be: 

• Refusal to accept, use or believe someone or something by a person or organisation
• Not being successful in impressing a person or an organisation to get a job or a contract. 
• Not getting the love and affection we expect or desire to get from a person.

What are the types of rejection? 

A rejection may be social rejection, personal rejection or professional rejection.

Social Rejection

When a person or group of persons related or unrelated to each other are deliberately kept away from social activities or social interaction, such actions taken against a person or group of persons can be termed social rejection. The world is now a digital village. Being rejected by a group of people will not end the opportunities in your life. Widen your space, and turn your rejection into your opportunities.

Personal Rejection

Personal rejection may be further classified as rejection by family and rejection in a relationship.

When a person is in a relationship, the fear of rejection is very high as the risk of approval exists by the family and society. When a child doesn't get enough time from a parent and is taken care of by a caretaker, the parent may face the fear of rejection by the child. The child may face rejection fear as it is deprived of the usual attention and care it expects from a parent. There are other situations where siblings face the fear of rejection due to constant comparisons and discouragements. A wife may face the fear of rejection by her husband when she is fully occupied with her children, and their upbringing is her priority. A husband fears rejection when he is fully occupied with his job and career and has less or no time to spare for his family. 

Professional Rejection

When a person fails to find a job or convert his skills into a successful business, he fears professional rejection.

Why do people fear rejection?

That awful feeling of being looked down on is one of the primary reasons people fear rejection. Besides, rejection affects both physical as well as mental health. It increases anger and distress and may even lead to depression. A depressed person not only endangers their life but also brings distress to their dear ones. This is why most people hesitate to seek things for fear of rejection. 

How to deal with rejection?

Rejection is not the end of your path to a happy, satisfying life. We need to understand that where a door closes, we may find a window open. We should analyse the reasons for the rejection. One should not find ways to avoid leading life due to the fear of rejection. They should learn to deal with rejection properly. 

Here are some of the ways to deal with rejection:

• Being Yourself: The confidence you gain by being yourself helps you overcome the fear of rejection and solve the problems faced by rejection. When you analyse the reasons for rejection, either try to improve yourself to qualify or find the best opportunity for your qualification. 
• Find Time In case of rejection from your family, always try to find time for your family. Spend quality time with your dear ones and let them know the requirements of your job/profession. Gain your family's confidence by explaining to them that you work for their best interest. 
• Choose Right: Our choices matter. Making the right choices is the key. Be it a professional or personal choice, perform a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis and then choose the best to avoid rejections in the future. When our choice is correct, the fear of rejection will not deter us from moving towards a goal.  
• Prioritise: Define your priorities and manage your time accordingly. Priorities do not remain the same always. Redetermine your priority regularly and reallocate the time according to the changed priority. 
• Take Time Off: Give yourself the most deserved personal time. Take time to analyse and understand your lifestyle. Exercise, eat healthy food, watch movies, listen to music, learn new things, and make yourself financially independent. Keep yourself fit and fine. A healthy mind and body never hesitate to fight for its right.  
• Develop Skills: Whatever may be your lifestyle or maybe your priorities, always keep yourselves updated. Learn new skills with an open mind. Develop new skills related to your current lifestyle or unrelated topics like music, dance and sports. Learning new songs, dancing and playing sports will enhance your mental health by helping you relax. 
• Be Socially Active: Make new friends both online and offline. Make trustworthy friends. Share your experiences. It helps you learn new things as well as handle situations better. Being socially active will make you understand that not everyone will deal with a situation similarly. Avoid stress and always be in the company of the right people. 
• Prepare a Timetable: Make a timetable. You may not follow it throughout. However, it will always help you manage your time efficiently. A well-planned day will always keep failure/rejection away.   

The Bottom Line

You would be better prepared to deal with rejections if you train yourself well in advance. Always overcome the fear of rejection, and move forward with confidence. Try to turn objections/rejections into opportunities. Ignore those rejections which do not matter much in your life.

Key Takeaways

To deal with rejections effectively:

• Be prepared and be yourself
• Develop new skills and manage time efficiently
• Turn the rejections into opportunities
• Learn to ignore the rejections that don't matter. Make "Ignoraya Namaha" your mantra for success. 
• Find your right path to success.