It’s understandable to have a fear of being rejected. It’s human nature to want to be loved and liked, and our brains innately can register rejection as life-threatening, so of course we have anxiety around this. The fear of rejection can prevent you from being your true self, and cause you to behave or speak differently, and while this can help you fit better in at the office, or some other social setting, you can leave yourself feeling isolated and alone. These behaviors can also lead you to lose your true self and stray from what’s in your best interest.
In order to be authentic and vulnerable, try practicing these three things:
- Be fully present and aware during social interactions: Take real time to think about what the person you’re speaking to said, and make sure your response aligns with how you really feel, not how you want to feel. Check in after you do something that might not have felt completely right, and question why.
- Speak your truth assertively and honestly:The biggest favor you can do to yourself is to consistently act in your best interest. Remind yourself that what is right for you isn’t always the easiest thing to do, especially when there’s social pressure involved.
- Never minimize yourself, especially for a romantic interest:The person you are seeing should really know who they’re seeing, so by putting up a facade you’re doing a disservice to both them and you. You can lead yourself into feeling alone and not feeling 100% comfortable around them.
These items you’re probably thinking, yeah OK, better said than done, right? Well, take small steps towards these items. Step #1, accept you have a fear of rejection, and kick the negative self-talk to the curb. Know that even though you could get “rejected,” this rejection will not define you.