Dealing with Rejection: How to Move Forward
Now that we have explored rejection and how to continue living through it, we can focus on how to deal with it in a grounded way.
Dealing with rejection can feel overwhelming when it shows up in different areas of life.
- Are you looking to be free from the “hold” that comes from experiencing feelings of rejection?
If you answered “yes”, you’re in the right place and help is here.
Rejection Is Not an Identity
Rejection is not an identity, it’s an experience, and it does not have to define your life.
Everywhere you go in life there will be ups and downs. Some of the downs may come from acts of “rejection” whether it comes in the form of things or people.
As far back as I can remember and to present day, I have yet to meet anyone that’s perfect. I could say that there’s been some that have come close to what I would think to be perfect, but they missed the mark of perfection.
If every individual were to give their definition of what they think “perfect” means, I’m sure there would be many definitions.
What Perfect Really Means
According to the dictionary (Merriam-Webster), perfect is defined as:
- Being entirely without fault or defect: flawless
Life does not operate in perfection.
In my opinion, if life was perfect, it would be a boring life.
I wouldn’t have the opportunity to sit here today to help others like you.
I wouldn’t have the opportunity to grow through my circumstances and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to discover what it’s like to have a “comeback”!
Internal Impact of Rejection
One of the hardest parts of rejection is the internal response afterward.
It can lead to:
- Self-doubt
- Overthinking
- Internal criticism
The internal voice often becomes louder than the situation itself.
While rejection can be an immense painful experience, how you “get back up”, “move forward” and “grow through it” is what matters.
Choosing to Move Forward
When I didn’t have the strength or desire to move forward from the pain of the many rejections I experienced, I cried out for help, I didn’t give up and you can do the same.
- Take action right now by making a decision to not allow yourself to be defined by your circumstances.
- Do not allow the encounters of rejection defeat you.
- If you have fallen, get back up! One small step is better than not taking a step at all.
If you’re reading this blog post, then you’ve already started taking “one small step”, and I’m so proud of you!
Rejection in Different Areas of Life
If you have been rejected by a loved one such as a family member, a friend, significant other, employer, school, etc. do not give up on yourself.
There may be many situations you will not understand and will want to know “why” you got rejected. Do not focus on the “why”, focus on how to heal and move forward.
Why We Don’t Stay in “Why”
If you have ever rejected anyone, I don’t think you stayed around explaining “why” until the other person was satisfied and healed from the rejection.
Life would be wonderful if we could all receive that kind of healing, but again life as we know it is not perfect.
Healing is not something that is easy to do on our own which is why it’s recommended to turn to someone that you can lean on for support or write down how you’re feeling.
You need a healthy and safe outlet to release the painful feelings that come from experiencing rejection.
Whole Self Healing
When we take care of our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, we are taking action to care for our whole self.
Whether you believe in a higher power or not, a lot of my healing and comfort came from spiritual healing.
While I was in mental and physical pain, my spiritual side suffered as well because I believed the lies that I was possibly being rejected because “I wasn’t enough”.
The Inner Voice Can Become Harmful
See, while others hurt us, we hurt ourselves too because we can be our own worst enemy.
The mind can wonder into dark areas quickly, and it can all be done in silence while we go through each day with no one ever knowing.
Finding Support and Release
If you feel like your spiritual well-being is suffering along with your mental and physical well-being, don’t be afraid to cry out.
When I was too embarrassed to tell anyone what I was going through, I turned to prayer. The brokenness became part of my story, but the healing became an even greater portion of my story.
You Don’t Have to Stay in Brokenness
The brokenness we carry inside can be long term or short term. It’s up to you to decide how long you will carry the burden of feeling broken.
- You don’t have to carry the burden and brokenness.
- You can choose to have a strong mental, physical, and spiritual foundation.
Having all three foundations is not easy because the mind will take over every day if you allow it. The physical will let you down if you don’t take care of it, and the spiritual will become faint if it’s not filled.
It’s not impossible to have all three foundations in balance, but there’s something called “work” and the work comes from you.
While we were taken care of as babies, we all have graduated to a place in our lives where we can do things without the assistance we once needed as babies.
You can continue to put in the work to take care of yourself, and find balance with your mental, physical, and spiritual foundations.
Structural Support
When rejection feels like it has a “hold” on you, know that you can be free from it and every time it comes your way, you’ll now be better equipped with being able to deal with it!
Practical Steps to Deal with Rejection
To begin dealing with rejection:
- Acknowledge what you feel
- Avoid internalizing outcomes
- Create emotional outlets
- Strengthen mental and emotional grounding
- Focus on rebuilding rather than replaying
Dealing with rejection is not about removing it from life. It’s about learning how to move through it without losing yourself.
As we come to a close in this series on rejection, we’ll explore what happens when emotional needs are not met, and how to stop internalizing other people’s decisions.
I’ll see you in the next blog post Beautiful!
