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Why Rejection Hurts So Much—and What to Do About It

By Guy Winch — 2015

Psychologist Guy Winch shares some practical tips for soothing the sting of rejection.

Read on ideas.ted.com

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Radical Belonging: How to Survive and Thrive in an Unjust World (While Transforming It for the Better)

Being “othered” and the body shame it spurs is not “just” a feeling.

Book
Lindo Bacon, Ijeoma Oluo (foreword)
2020
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15:06

How Telling Our Silenced Stories Can Change the World | Anne Hallward | TEDxDirigo

Shame is at the intersection of individual psychology healing and social change. Clinically, when we follow the path of our shame, we experience the greatest healing, and culturally, when we move past the power of shame we can act together to improve civil rights for all.

Video
2014
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03:29

Mental Health within the Black Community | Davonte Sanders-Funches | TEDxNorthCentralCollege

Spoken word meet social critique in this power piece exploring the cyclical nature of mental health challenges within the black community.

Video
2017
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15:17

Mental Health Is Declining and Black Women Are Hit the Hardest | Keita Joy | TEDxBeaconStreet

Did you know that in the United States, over 10.3 million adults have serious thoughts of suicide and/or battle with mental health struggles privately while continuing to produce and perform publicly? Imagine living with a constant, lingering private struggle, while performing in front of the world.

Video
2020
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05:38

Kevin Love Details His Battles with Mental Illness | ESPN

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Kevin Love sits down with Jackie MacMullan to discuss suffering with anxiety and depression, having his first panic attack on November 5th, 2017 and how he can help others suffering from mental illness open up and get the help they need.

Video
2018
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Don’t Take It Personally: The Art of Dealing with Rejection

Who hasn’t felt the sting of rejection? It doesn’t take much for your feelings to get hurt—a look or a tone of voice or certain words can set you ruminating for hours on what that person meant. An unreturned phone call or a disappointing setback can really throw you off your center.

Book
Elayne Savage
2025
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13:21

How Can One Be Abandoned by Life?

Eckhart Tolle Question and Answer Sample Overview: When we connect to beingness we can relate beyond form. Eckhart Tolle is widely recognized as one of the most original and inspiring spiritual teachers of our time. He travels and teaches throughout the world.

Video
Eckhart Tolle
2013
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When we take rejection as proof of our inadequacies, it’s hard to allow ourselves to risk being truly seen again. . . . The problem arises when shame kicks in and we aren’t able to view our flaws, limitations, and vulnerabilities in a patient, self-loving way.

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Harriet Lerner
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Avoidance will make you feel less vulnerable in the short run, but it will never make you less afraid.

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Harriet Lerner
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Questioning ourselves for being ‘oversensitive’ is a common way that women, in particular, disqualify our legitimate anger and hurt. . . . The fact that some of us feel more vulnerable than others in a particular context does not mean we are weak or lesser in any way.

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Harriet Lerner
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EXPLORE TOPIC

Criticism and Rejection