Inside Rejection Sensitivity |
What Is Rejection Sensitivity?
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Rejection sensitivity, an extreme vulnerability to rejection or criticism, can be a symptom of mental illness.
People who suffer from this painful trait often perceive rejection where none exists.
Realizing that others may be indifferent, not critical, can be the starting point of healing.
When I was a young and inexperienced associate attorney at my very first law firm, I used to suffer paroxysms of anxiety just walking through the halls. Who would I encounter—a senior lawyer, a name partner? Was what I was wearing that day professional enough to pass muster? How was my work reputation thus far? Would I survive their certain cross-examination, however brief it might be?
Much of the time, the lawyers I passed didn’t even give me a glance. And that’s when the real self-recrimination would start. I’d scurry back to my office and shut the door against the cruel, cruel world. Obviously, they must have heard something negative about me. They must have averted their eyes so as not to show their obvious dislike and disapproval. Or on really bad days: they must be about to fire me.
I finally went into therapy because I had this nagging, intermittent feeling that life wasn’t supposed to be this hard. I was convinced there had to be a better way, and I was going to find it—even if I didn’t dare tell........