Reacting Drastically to Rejection

[Poptart32]

If I experience any form of rejection, for example being unsuccessful at a job interview or receiving critical feedback from a peer, I immediately 'delete' any ambition to be in a role in the area I interviewed for, or I will believe peer has constant negative opinion of me and I will distance myself from them.

Help! How can I get over this reaction?

Sounds glib but have you thought about discussing it with a professional (counsellor/therapist/CBT practitioner) OP? These things are often linked to rejections and feelings we had much earlier on in life.

Understanding the psychology of rejection and why you leap to catastrophising when you encounter it could be really helpful.

www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com/mobile/relationships_psychologist/psychologist_rejection.htm (as an example)

Defence mechanisms are difficult to break down but its key to practice self awareness. Knowing that your motivations to write things off are defence mechanisms and that actually, that is not helpful to you, is a helpful thing.

Thank you @dontgobaconmyheart. I've had therapy, including CBT, in the past, and I think this is why I am able to recognise the motivation behind this behaviour. The difficulty, as you mention, is trying to break the habit. It's helpful to me that you used the word catastrophizing. I recognise this as an unhelpful thinking style, so will hopefully be able to implement previously learned strategies to manage this.

I could have written your post OP.
I am about to collect new anxiety meds because for the past 3 weeks I have been in a constant panic. If anyone offers me a small suggestion at work or someone isn’t massively positive to me I start catastrophising thinking I’m going to be fired or everyone hates me.

I can’t stop even though rationally in known it’s wrong.

It stems from perfection I.e if I’m not doing everything perfectly I may as well give up.