Best tips for dealing with rejection?

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augustinegirl

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Hi all,
I already know all the missteps and mistakes I made, but I made a lot of mistakes in a dating situation and I feel like an idiot. I'm trying not to blame myself but I know a lot of it was my behavior. My pattern through the whole thing was not letting him come to me, but being the one to prompt the majority of get-togethers (it started off as him, then went to me, then it became even at one point, then me again). He started most of the texting, but not the actual planning. I can't believe how reliant I became on his affirmation. It started off without me caring much, but once I started to like him, it became me tricking myself into thinking he liked me, and his feelings waning and waxing. This went on for a year, so it's not like it was a short thing. I didn't want to admit that he wasn't into me, and I didn't want him to go away. He told me a few different times that he wanted to be in a relationship with me, but he never asked. I have beaten myself up over it because the thing is, I've got a lot going for me, so I'm mad that I let my desperation and desire to control things take over. He liked me before I got desperate. It was a very complicated situation that I'm not going to get into the details of, but I should've let God take it and not grasped it so hard. I told him I wanted to limit contact to just making plans or calls, but he texted me something the other day and I responded. I shouldn't have, and I felt really lame afterwards because I should've stuck to my word and he told me wasn't even trying to have a conversation. I wish I could just go back to when I was actually myself and not obsessed with what he thought, because he actually liked me then. I'm at this point where I know it won't work (okay, I know that in my head but my heart keeps wishing), and I just hate that I got so desperate. I think he just feels too bad to tell me it's over, so he's showing me by not calling or anything. I know it must be awkward to read, and a lot of people probably think "wow, so glad I never got like that," but the reality is that I didn't expect to either. It's not the first time that I've felt *slightly* desperate, but it's been a much stronger feeling of desperation than in the past. Any tips on how to get over rejection? I wish I could just pray all day or something but alas, duty calls, so that's not an option. I really, really want to break this pattern and have been working with a therapist about it, and she has tips, but I wanted to know what has really worked for some of you.
 
I’m no expert and I hope everything works out for you but the only 2 things I can think of that will actually help get over rejection are…
  1. Time: All things pass eventually.
2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

One day this issue will be a memory; a thing of the past. You just have to accept that it may be hard for awhile.
  1. Minimal contact. If a particular person or thing is stuck on your mind, distance yourself from it/them. You lived the majority of your life without them and you will be just fine going forward. Again, it just takes time.
I would also recommend that you have a serious conversation with this person about it. It seems that your are uncertain with how they feel which may be causing a lot of your stress. If their lack of communication with you lately truly is rejection, closure can do wonders.

Hopefully everything turns out 🙂
 
Unfortunately, it’s just something everyone has to go through at some point. And it sucks. But you will get through it. Eventually this guy will just be a memory.

Here’s the thing, though: you won’t get through it if you keep him fixed in your mind. Don’t look him up on social media, don’t text him, don’t do the “let’s just be friends” thing. Accept that you aren’t going to contact him again, period. It’ll be tough, but it’ll get just a little easier each day, until one day you’ll realize you haven’t thought of him in awhile.
 
What I’ve found is this:

If someone doesn’t want to be with you, rejoice! You know that that’s not the person for you! You don’t want that. Meaning, its obviously not part of your fantasy/dream/image to not be wanted, and you now know how things are in this situation. Don’t let it convince you that just because this happened here that its always going to be like that with everyone and everything- if you look at the world’s successful people, they have rejections and failures before they finally made it through, but they kept trying. Every single person does in some way. The image of learning to ride a bike pops up.

You are mourning and thinking over the loss of that hope/dream/image you had in mind. There is nothing ‘sick’ about mourning the loss. The bible says that when you lose something, to take the time to fully mourn over it, but then place it out of your thoughts. When you lose your car, or lose your job, or loss of a goal in being fulfilled, there is grief. So don’t beat yourself up too much, but take a hold of the promise of a new dawn. Let yourself grieve, and grieve fully.
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 Also, its silly to think there are 'mistakes' in dating.   Hey, we are talking about PEOPLE here-  and people are massively different in what drives them away and what makes them say 'hey' its this one!". So many dislikes and likes and combinations of such!    So I don't think you made any 'mistakes' especially if you were being genuine to yourself.
Try and think of things from the others point of view too. Sometimes I think some people have a tendency to make things a lot worse than they are. What if roles were reversed? How would you feel about it, and what would you want the other to think about themselves if you were the one wanting to set aside the relationship? Most likely, they’d hope the ‘rejected’ one is not heartbroken or too terribly upset. Its true though, some people probably don’t even bother to give it a thought, but why then be too terribly upset with the loss of someone like that???! Rejoice instead! You were spared!
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Meeting new people is always a gamble.   That whole "life is like a box of chocolates- you never know what you are going to get" rings true with all sorts of relationships as well.
You still are yourself. You are just in a grieving stage and it would be really hard for anyone to feel like themselves after loss. I remember thinking the same- wishing I could go back to how I was when a loved one of mine died. I didn’t like that my life had changed and I didn’t feel like myself anymore. I realized I was just rightfully grieving and would have to wait the process out. The dawn comes slowly and silently. We just have to be patient, and anticipate the arrival of a new day, full of new endeavors and new hopes and new things to learn and explore. (Hey, that’s kind of exciting, yes?)

Oh and with any sort of grieving it is good to take care of yourself. If you need days to pray, why is that ‘not necessary’ to you? The world may deem it as such, but according to Jesus via teh Gospels, its the most important thing anyone can do for themselves! Honest. Go take that time for yourself… OH, and maybe plan a retreat at a monastery somewhere to be alone, think and pray … and maybe even converse with some nuns about it.

Look, we never know how many days we have on this life. You could go tomorrow… is this really something you want to be spending so much time on? Its a choice. Sure, its difficult, but figure out first what EXACTLY it is that your heart- as you put it- wants so much from this situation and why you are holding onto it. Find out what this obsession is about, and take it to God- compare it to His Word (Holy Scripture)… see if its legit or not or what God has to say about it. Take a look at this situation from eyes from above. You know that feeling when you are in an airplane and you see for miles and things look so different, so quaint and not so bad? Do that here, with this. From above, you can see the storm and can see it will pass soon- but the person on earth in the storm may be thinking the exact opposite and having a difficult time bearing down.
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Faith is belief in things we can't see.    Faith is work.  ("The work of God is to believe")
Be sure not to forget to take the time to GRIEVE. Its human to feel. There is no error in that, but seek TRUTH along with feeling the feelings. Ground yourself in The One that created you. Go to Him to let Him lead you in prayer.

Oh and what you said here doesn’t sound too unusual for the typical human experience (if it was not, then there would not be so many websites dedicated to such topics- and even those out there instructing men on how to abuse women’s trust to get 'them into bed") Its just that people don’t talk about it openly. Why the world is so cold- loving means being vulnerable to being hurt. Don’t beat yourself up!

Try a priest before a therapist. Have you? You might be really surprised at their wisdom. If not a priest, try a nun. And they do it FOR FREE.

OH and also people often don’t realize the WHY of why they like a relationship or why they want in one. Some people don’t even realize it but its not the person they want, but what they thought that person provided them. Seek to be as solid of a person as you can and those areas where you really do need a compliment (another person) will become clearer to you so that you won’t fall for unhealthy lacking relationships.

I apologize for the long post. Just trying to help and hope that this trial passes for you soon.
 
Oh, and stay active. Your instinct will be to sit in your room and ruminate on him, replay all your interactions in your head like a CSI detective looking for some tiny clue. Fight that instinct. Stay active: physically, socially, spiritually, at work, etc. Exercise regularly (and push yourself, within reason. Physical exhaustion will focus your mind.) See your friends, even when you’d really rather be at home alone. Stay involved with your faith. Take on challenging projects at work/school, etc.

Basically, you need to give your mind something else to focus on besides the person.
 
Oh, and stay active. Your instinct will be to sit in your room and ruminate on him, replay all your interactions in your head like a CSI detective looking for some tiny clue. Fight that instinct. Stay active: physically, socially, spiritually, at work, etc. Exercise regularly (and push yourself, within reason. Physical exhaustion will focus your mind.) See your friends, even when you’d really rather be at home alone. Stay involved with your faith. Take on challenging projects at work/school, etc.

Basically, you need to give your mind something else to focus on besides the person.
I agree somewhat with this, but I think it might be helpful for her to ‘ruminate’ on the situation (not on the man or the loss).

While one must try and stay active, its also good to find time in quiet to think on matters, dissect the situation, find out what it is made of.
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I'm not saying you suggest this, but just saying for clarity's sake- its also not healthy to ignore the way one feels or try and mask over them with activity.  (I find men do this a lot in coping dealing with their emotions- and while this helps and is good to get what needs to be done done, it can hurt a person just as well, emotionally, their sense of self and lead to many many more problems).
She can learn from ‘ruminating’ over the situation in prayer. This is really healthy and a way to wisdom. A lot of saints did this- They went off by themselves and took a lot of time to pray over matters until they were filled and educated by God and His Holy Spirit.
 
Unfortunately, it’s just something everyone has to go through at some point. And it sucks. But you will get through it. Eventually this guy will just be a memory.

Here’s the thing, though: you won’t get through it if you keep him fixed in your mind. Don’t look him up on social media, don’t text him, don’t do the “let’s just be friends” thing. Accept that you aren’t going to contact him again, period. It’ll be tough, but it’ll get just a little easier each day, until one day you’ll realize you haven’t thought of him in awhile.
I would add don’t pray for him. Or pray for him one last time and then turn that over to someone else, send your intentions to a Poor Clares monastery or something. If you think about it, praying for him on a regular basis, keeping him on a prayer list (personal one) forces you to think about him when you could be on your way to letting go. This doesn’t mean avoid it either. If he comes to mind say a quick prayer and ask Jesus to bless him and then move on.
 
This is the approach I’ve taken. The excerpt is from a blog post but I first read it in her book:
Judith Martin wrote “Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior,” to remind readers that there is no excuse for bad manners. Even a mangled heart is no excuse. Miss Manners says:
If you are the one who wants to end the relationship, you can do so by politely declining to spend time with the person who is still crazy about you. If you are the crazy one, it is your duty not to act crazy.
She says, “One might protest that it is unfair for the burden of proper behavior to fall on the person who is down, rather than on the one who did the pushing. But so it is.” The person who wants to walk away, should do so without explanation, she says.
But isn’t it more polite to explain why you need to dump the person who loves you? “No,” says Miss Manners, “No worse cruelty ever disguised itself as kindness.”
She continues, “**The smartest thing a dumped one can do is to get out of sight, or at least to hide all traces of misery. . . . Thus, the proper behavior for someone who’s heart is breaking is to be cheerful, not pained; forgiving, not accusing; busy, not free to be comforted; mysterious, not talking the situation over; absent, not obviously alone or overdoing attention to others.”
Such behavior will have two rewards, Miss Manners says. First, keeping busy will start your recovery. Second, if you don’t seem heartbroken, you might hurt the feelings of the person who hurt yours.
**
While convalescing, you may occasionally slip. You might be too distraught to finish an assignment at work or at school. You might cry at inappropriate times. What to say? Miss Manners suggests you skip the details of your pain.
Think of what you would do if you had another sort of malady. Hemorrhoids, for example. If you found yourself weeping at a dinner party, you would recover by saying, “Excuse me, I haven’t been feeling well lately.” If people asked for details, you’d say, “Oh, I’d rather not go into it.”
I find that this will maintain or begin to restore one’s dignity and brings back balance when one’s world gets off kilter by a loss or change.
 
I would add don’t pray for him. Or pray for him one last time and then turn that over to someone else, send your intentions to a Poor Clares monastery or something. If you think about it, praying for him on a regular basis, keeping him on a prayer list (personal one) forces you to think about him when you could be on your way to letting go. This doesn’t mean avoid it either. If he comes to mind say a quick prayer and ask Jesus to bless him and then move on.
Great point!!
 
Firstly, don’t look at it as ‘rejection’. You simple are not going to marry every single person you find attractive. (I’m married now and still find people attractive!) It doesn’t sound like you were flat out ‘rejected’ either. But it doesn’t sound like he’s putting too much effort in either. For what ever reason. Don’t beat yourself up!

Also, you might find at times that someone might be really interested, think very highly of you, but the timing stinks. For instance, someone getting deployed. You might not be able to date until oh, four years from now… In the meantime, you can do all sorts of things and get to know and maybe marry someone else!

Check out some articles on Psychology Today, especially on addiction/obsession. I’m not saying you are addicted but some of the same process of getting over an addiction and dealing with obsessive thoughts might be helpful until this passes.

But since you are already here at CAF I can tell you that instead of beating yourself up on ‘mistakes’, which probably were rather nice gestures on your part, you might want to consider praying for this young man, placing him in God’s hands. If you have a little bit of money, around $10, you can have a mass said for him and his special intentions.

Then dig into the Bible, or start planning a trip to a beautiful place in the world you want to visit. Do this even if you have no money. Arm chair travel and get ready for the day when maybe you have the opportunity and money. (Especially if you are young.) This is just one suggestion. I suggest a holy pilgrimage to Lourdes/Fatima/Turin.

Spend a little time with your patron saint from your Confirmation, or discover a new one that speaks to you today. Make a deep relationship with them.

Don’t rush into dating another boy, but consider going out with a group of friends.

God Bless you, you will be in my prayers.
 
There is a lot of good advice in this thread! I don’t think I can add anything, but I would at least like to “second” or “third” some advice.

First of all, like another poster said, cut off all contact. Don’t text him, talk to him, etc. You aren’t doing this to be mean or to punish anyone, it’s only to help you heal. think of this as a wound. Staying in contact is like picking at a scab, it will take longer to heal and may scar.

Even without contact, you are still going to think of him and about him. You are still going to be sad. It stinks, but in time (especially with no contact) it will slowly fade. When I was trying to get over someone, sometimes I would go to the ocean, go underwater and scream as loud as I could under water. It made me feel a little better.

Prayer can help too. When you start feeling down or start thinking of him, take a Rosary and go for a walk. I am divorced and more than anything, this helped me. I would walk and say the Rosary softly to myself and focused on that. It helped my heart and my soul to heal.

Don’t rush into a rebound relationship. It might feel good at first, but it will hurt that much more later. Take time. I really like the idea of a trip that another poster mentioned. That would be a great way to refocus and to get your mind off things.

And don’t be so hard on yourself. You learned from all this, right? So in a way, you improved yourself. You probably won’t see that until the pain goes away, but don’t take so much of this to heart. Most people have done the same as you. It will pass.
 
I agree somewhat with this, but I think it might be helpful for her to ‘ruminate’ on the situation (not on the man or the loss).

While one must try and stay active, its also good to find time in quiet to think on matters, dissect the situation, find out what it is made of.
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I'm not saying you suggest this, but just saying for clarity's sake- its also not healthy to ignore the way one feels or try and mask over them with activity.  (I find men do this a lot in coping dealing with their emotions- and while this helps and is good to get what needs to be done done, it can hurt a person just as well, emotionally, their sense of self and lead to many many more problems).
She can learn from ‘ruminating’ over the situation in prayer. This is really healthy and a way to wisdom. A lot of saints did this- They went off by themselves and took a lot of time to pray over matters until they were filled and educated by God and His Holy Spirit.
I more or less agree with you, I just don’t think the time for it is now. The wound is still fresh. Going over and over the situation in her mind is just going to keep her focus on this guy, and prevent her from moving on. If, in six months, she’s able to look back on it and gain some insight, I think that would be a great thing. But I think the focus now should be on her mentally and emotionally moving on. If she spends too much time thinking on it now, she’s probably not going to be able to come up with too much insight anyway. She needs a little distance from it first. Just my two cents.

OP, just for what it’s worth, this is something almost everyone goes through. I remember being 21 and breaking up with my girlfriend in college. I was in the dumps for months, and kept thinking I could win her back long after it was clear that it was over. I thought I’d be hung up on her for the rest of my life.

Now I’m 32, happily married to my beautiful wife, and looking forward to the birth of my first child. I haven’t spoken to my college girlfriend for years and years, and I have no idea what she’s up to. I don’t bear any ill will toward her, just saying that I don’t really think about her anymore, and the breakup went from being this huge catastrophe to something I barely remember.
 
Hi all,
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 I already know all the missteps and mistakes I made, but I made a lot of mistakes in a dating situation and I feel like an idiot.  I'm trying not to blame myself but I know a lot of it was my behavior.  My pattern through the whole thing was not letting him come to me, but being the one to prompt the majority of get-togethers (it started off as him, then went to me, then it became even at one point, then me again).  He started most of the texting, but not the actual planning.  I can't believe how reliant I became on his affirmation.  It started off without me caring much, but once I started to like him, it became me tricking myself into thinking he liked me, and his feelings waning and waxing.  This went on for a year, so it's not like it was a short thing.  I didn't want to admit that he wasn't into me, and I didn't want him to go away.  He told me a few different times that he wanted to be in a relationship with me, but he never asked.  I have beaten myself up over it because the thing is, I've got a lot going for me, so I'm mad that I let my desperation and desire to control things take over.  He liked me before I got desperate.  It was a very complicated situation that I'm not going to get into the details of, but I should've let God take it and not grasped it so hard.  I told him I wanted to limit contact to just making plans or calls, but he texted me something the other day and I responded.  I shouldn't have, and I felt really lame afterwards because I should've stuck to my word and he told me wasn't even trying to have a conversation.  I wish I could just go back to when I was actually myself and not obsessed with what he thought, because he actually liked me then.  I'm at this point where I know it won't work (okay, I know that in my head but my heart keeps wishing), and I just hate that I got so desperate. I think he just feels too bad to tell me it's over, so he's showing me by not calling or anything.  I know it must be awkward to read, and a lot of people probably think "wow, so glad I never got like that," but the reality is that I didn't expect to either.  It's not the first time that I've felt *slightly* desperate, but it's been a much stronger feeling of desperation than in the past.  Any tips on how to get over rejection?  I wish I could just pray all day or something but alas, duty calls, so that's not an option.  I really, really want to break this pattern and have been working with a therapist about it, and she has tips, but I wanted to know what has really worked for some of you.
Find other things to keep you occupied. I gave up dating because I only ever ran into guys who didn’t really care about me or were super into themselves and never into me. Find a hobby you enjoy and concentrate on that. Best of luck.
 
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