Is there anything scarier than the fear of rejection?
There are tangible fears such as catastrophes that could cause physical harm. However, to some extent the fear of rejection is one that in comparison to other fears, is not that bad.
Sure, you might feel some embarrassment. It’s definitely a possibility that you physically cringe for the next few days or weeks when you think about being rejected.
But is it all that bad?
It’s a universal experience to feel embarrassment. It’s an emotion that is extremely relatable. Everyone has the capacity to feel embarrassed, whether you’re young or old.
That’s why it’s important to cope with the emotion, so you don’t let it stop you from doing things that have the potential to be worth wild.
If you’re able to cope and deal with your fear of embarrassment, then reaching out becomes much easier.
Most people in their 20s resonate with the experience of having a friend or friends that you lose contact with.
Sometimes it’s a friend from high school who you haven’t seen since graduation. Other times it’s a friend who you had a class with, but lost contact with after the last day of class.
No matter the situation or reason, it’s a common feeling to miss someone who you haven’t seen or talked to in a while.
I went abroad the spring semester of my third year in college. I missed my friends dearly. Upon my return to campus I found myself missing people I haven’t seen in a while. I realized after a while that the people I missed are easily reachable.
So why wasn’t I reaching out?
After doing some self reflection, I realized it’s because I feared sending a text to a friend, and not receiving a response.
I remembered thinking how embarrassed I would be. However, when I was thinking this I realized something important.
I have never received a text from an old friend who I wasn’t happy to hear from.
I realized it’s actually quite flattering. In fact, some of the best part of my days are hearing or talking to people I haven’t heard or talked to in a while.
I remembered a time when an old high school friend reached out to me, and I was ecstatic.
So I decided to reach out to some old friends. What I found was everyone I texted felt similarly to me when I receive an unexpected text- happy.
However, if you don’t get over the fear of rejection and the fear of reaching out, you miss out on the amazing potential memories you could make with an old friend.
Even if nothing more than a quick catch up with an old friend comes from it, it’s a great way to connect with people.
So I recommend getting out of your comfort zone and reaching out.
Yes, rejection is scary. However, sometimes the risk is better than the reward.
I firmly believe reaching out is something that’s worth it, even though it can be scary.