What kind of rejection

Maybe it had nothing to do with not liking you. Want more tips like these? Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Share this —. Follow better. By Sarah DiGiulio. Rejection sensitivity is not something you should ignore. In fact, symptoms often worsen over time if they're left untreated. Consequently, if you're prone to overwhelming emotional reactions including intense anger, anxiety, and sadness when you feel criticized or rejected, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.

Learning to address your sensitivity and respond more appropriately to rejection is the key to improving your overall quality of life. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Rejection sensitivity as a vulnerability marker for depressive symptom deterioration in men. PLoS One. Downey G, Feldman SI. Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. J Pers Soc Psychol. The face of rejection: Rejection sensitivity moderates dorsal anterior cingulate activity to disapproving facial expressions.

Soc Neurosci. Gyurak A, Ayduk O. Defensive physiological reactions to rejection: The effect of self-esteem and attentional control on startle responses. Psychol Sci. Rejection sensitivity and disruption of attention by social threat cues. J Res Pers. Cognitive and emotional components of rejection sensitivity: independent contributions to adolescent self- and interpersonal functioning. Effect of behavioral inhibition system and childhood emotional neglect on serotonergic activity, negative affect, and rejection sensitivity in non-clinical adults.

Rejection sensitivity and children's interpersonal difficulties. Child Dev. Paying to belong: When does rejection trigger ingratiation? Effects of rejection intensity and rejection sensitivity on social approach behavior in women. Purdie V, Downey G. Rejection sensitivity and adolescent girls' vulnerability to relationship-centered difficulties. Child Maltreat. Influence of loneliness and rejection sensitivity on threat sensitivity in romantic relationships in young and middle-aged adults.

Pers Individ Differ. Rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms in women. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. Associations between rejection sensitivity and mental health outcomes: A meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. Predictors of withdrawal: Possible precursors of avoidant personality disorder.

Dev Psychopathol. Rejection sensitivity and suicide ideation among psychiatric inpatients: An integration of two theoretical models. Psychiatry Res. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Pick someone who will listen and be supportive. Whether you decide to share your feelings with someone else or simply think about them yourself, acknowledging feelings can help you move beyond painful emotions.

When you're dealing with a painful emotion like rejection, it's easy to get caught up in the bad feeling. But dwelling on the negative stuff can feel like living the experience over and over again.

Not only does it keep hurting, it becomes harder to get past the rejection. So admit how you feel but don't dwell on it. Avoid talking or thinking about it nonstop.

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. Now on to what you think: Consider how you're explaining the rejection to yourself.

Are you being too hard on yourself? It's natural to wonder, "Why did this happen? Tell yourself: "I got turned down for prom because the person didn't want to go with me. They're imagining a reason, reading too much into a situation.

If put-down thoughts like these start creeping into your mind, shut them down. Self-blaming or put-down thinking can exaggerate our faults and lead us to believe stuff about ourselves that simply isn't true. This kind of thinking crowds out hope and a belief in ourselves — the very things we need to get past feeling bad and want to try again.

If you start blaming yourself for the rejection or put yourself down, you can start believing you'll always be rejected. Thoughts like, "I'll never get a date" or "No one will ever like me" amplify a simple rejection to disaster level. Rejection can hurt a lot and can be terribly disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. Tell yourself: "OK, so I got rejected this time. Maybe next time, I'll get a 'yes'" or "Oh, well.

This is what happened.