Rejection. Rejection is one of the scariest things in life. We are all scared to be rejected whether it is from a group of friends or by a loved one. We all try so hard to be accepted. However, most times we let our fears of being rejected and our desire to fit in hinder ourselves. So, today I will be discussing the power of being rejected and how you can learn to get over your fear.

Rejection can be used in many ways and in many contexts; however, for our purposes rejection will be defined as the spurning of one’s affections according to the Oxford Dictionary. In college, the fear of rejection if prevalent. You are meeting new people and trying to assimilate to a new environment. The fear of rejection is closely correlated to the fear of being lonely in college, especially as a freshman. Additionally, we are still trying to define who we are in the world, and it is scary to think that we might not be accepted. So, with knowing all of this I did some research to find a way to help ease the fear of being rejected. I learned about rejection therapy, which is an easy form of self-therapy that will help lessen the effect that rejection has on us. Rejection therapy was brought about by Jia Jiang in a TedTalk where he speaks about the 100 days of rejection. The 100 days of rejection is just that, you get rejected each day for 100 days. This is in hope that by constantly facing your fear you will soon get over your fear, or that rejection will be normalized. Now, I don’t think that you need to endure the pain of rejection for 100 days, that is a mental challenge that seems unrealistic for a college student. However, I urge you to put yourself out there even if you risk rejection. The next time you feel rejected I urge you to not dwell on the pain, but take it as part of rejection therapy.

You should step outside of your comfort zone. Yes, rejection is scary, but if it is holding you back push through that fear.

You are standing in the way of yourself. So, the next time you see someone and you want to say hi, do it. The next time, you see a person you find attractive and you want to talk to them, do it. The next time you want to try something new, do it. Don’t let the fear of rejection hold you back, break free and soar.