Hi there my name is Doreen, I'm a crocheter, a social media manager and a proud Nigerian. This is my first post here and I am dancing in my chair right now. Finding a community where I can interact with fellow Nigerians is very soothing. I can't wait to connect with each and every one of you here.
Before we dive into the details of this topic and uncover what it means to different types of people, let's see what the word means. So the internet says rejection is “the dismissing or refusing of a proposal, idea, etc” Rejection occurs in different ways for different people depending on their environment, family, friends and life experiences.
Many people respond to rejection in ways that can potentially harm them either mentally or physically. Let's first look at the negative mental impact of rejection: Self-Isolation, Negative Self-Talk (aka ‘I'm not good enough’ syndrome. I just named it that), Rumination (burying yourself in that one experitill it takes over you), Avoidance Behavior (fear of trying again) these and many more can be part of the negative mental impacts of rejection.
Before we dive into looking at it from a whole new perspective let's take a look at the physical negative impacts.
Most of these physical negative impacts are as a result of mental stress. They include: Sleep Disruption [ as a result of stress and anxiety], Appetite Changes (stress eating or loss of appetite), Physical Pain, chronic Stress Responses (rejection can trigger a fight-or-flight state and many more responses)
Don't get me wrong we are human and sometimes things tend to take a bad turn especially in how we react to things. But for good mental and physical health let's look at positive ways to react to rejection that can easily reduce the mental and physical burden. The impacts include: Increased Resilience, Clarity & Redirection (rejection reveals what isn’t for you), Growth Mindset, Reduced Fear Over Time and Self-Awareness, Better Habits Through Routine, Somatic Awareness and Healthier Boundaries.
I won't try to say rejection is good or anything but looking as it as if it is the end of the word does huge damage over time. The little ‘I don't want to try again’ ‘what if I fail’ ‘it won't be good enough’ can lead to mental stress that might chide tou to generally give up on doing the thing you love because fear.
I see rejection as STOP, REASSESS AND KEEP MOVING. It has not always been that way but I built this habit so hearing no won't make me feel less of a person or destroy my resolve all together.
The best way to deal with reject is to accept it as what it is and move forward knowing you just learnt something good for your growth. I picked this topic because it is something I used to have an issue with. And I hope it helps someone out there as well.
Ps: these images belong to me