Don't Let Fear of Rejection Hold You Back: Overcome Your Fears and Reach Your Goals

With any type of rejection, whether it is from friends, family members, or strangers, there are always going to be instances where people don’t appreciate what you do. In this post, I share some tips to help you deal with negative situations.

Fear of rejection has always been something I struggled with. Even though I knew deep down that my fear was irrational, I couldn't get away from it no matter how hard I tried. Then I found a way to overcome my fears.

I've always had a strong desire to succeed at anything I did. I wanted to become better at things I enjoyed and even started volunteering because I thought I'd enjoy meeting new people. Unfortunately, I never seemed capable of building relationships with other people. Instead, I felt left out or rejected whenever someone talked to me.

To build confidence and gain freedom, you'll need to change some of your beliefs about being social and feeling unworthy. Try these strategies to overcome your fear of rejection.

1. Accept it

The first thing I did was accept my fear of rejection. I realized how silly I was being and how ridiculous I felt for having such a strong fear. By accepting my fears it helped me realize that they were normal and nothing to worry about. I had to learn to let go of this fear and not allow it to control my life.

2. Validate your feelings

Next, I validated my feelings of rejection and then took them back to the root cause of why I feared rejection. When I started looking at the original reason behind my fear, I realized that it stemmed from a time when I was younger and didn't have any real friendships. I also realized that a lot of times people don't appreciate that what I do isn't just for myself. In fact, I'm doing it for others too. Once I considered these things, I realized that there would be no need to fear rejection because everyone loves helping others.

3. Look for the lesson

Looking back now, I believe that I'm stronger than ever before. I got over my fear of rejection and I'm still able to help many people. I look forward to finding more friends who enjoy helping others and will continue to build long-lasting relationships.

4. Know your worth

I've learned that we never know if someone likes us until that person opens their mouth and says something. Even though I still get nervous sometimes, I tell myself that I am worthy of love and friendship. I also remind myself that I'm here to help myself and others and that's what matters most.

5. Don't Take Things Personally

If someone doesn't like you then they don't like you. There's no point worrying about it. The only person who can hurt you is yourself.

6. Figure out what really frightens you about rejection

Is it that you're afraid that you won't fit in? That people will reject you because they don't agree with what you stand for? Maybe it's that you're worried that people will judge you, or that you're afraid to lose the friend group that you've worked hard to build. Whatever it is, figure out exactly what it is that makes you afraid of rejection. Then ask yourself if there's a way to solve the underlying issue. If there is, you might be able to eliminate your fear altogether. If there isn't, you'll need to accept that there will probably be times when people don't like you. You can choose to stay away from those people, or you can find a different crowd of people that does like you. Either way, you'll have to live with your choices and learn to deal with rejection.

7. Face your fear

The best way to overcome your fear of rejection is to face your fears head-on. If you never take chances, you'll never achieve success. Do whatever it takes to get over that fear. When you succeed, you create a positive chain reaction. The more you reach milestones, the more comfortable you'll become around taking risks.

8. Get rid of negative self-talk

Self-talk is the inner dialogue that goes on inside our minds. It may seem harmless at times, but it can actually become harmful if we listen to it regularly. One example of negative self-talk could be, "I'm always alone." Or, "People aren't interested in what I have to say." These are just two examples of how we can start making excuses for ourselves whenever we feel rejected. We might think that those thoughts come from reality, but the truth is that they come from our own imagination. So, instead of listening to our negative self-talk, we should replace it with positive statements that improve our thinking. Focus on the positive aspects of yourself. Think about the things you've accomplished throughout your lifetime. Remind yourself that you've done great things and remind yourself over and over again. Eventually, you'll begin to believe that you can accomplish anything.