Handling rejection is never easy for anyone and it goes the same as well for the people who are rejecting. When rejecting someone, it’s difficult to not feel guilty because you feel as if you are responsible for their feelings, which is not the case. There’s also this fear of being in danger if you reject them as well.
So, to counteract that, here are a few ways to reject them respectfully without maybe encountering problems for yourself.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Stay truthful and be direct when you are rejecting someone. It’s never good to lie anyway, so it would be better if you just tell them your thoughts without sounding harsh. It’s a good idea to prepare what you’re going to say as well so you’ll know exactly what to say and the reasons for why you’re rejecting them.
Be FIRM With Your Answers
There will always be a scenario where the person you’re rejecting will make you feel bad or worse, gaslight you. So, always stand your ground and don’t back down. Also, it’s perfectly fine to feel guilty because it’s a normal human reaction, but you are in no obligation to make everyone around you happy.
Never Put Off The Rejection
Needless to say, rejecting someone can make anybody feel anxious and uncomfortable, especially when you can’t even expect how the person might react. It’s an unpleasant situation to be in but it’s often better to just bite the bullet so they don’t think there’s some hope for them. It also could result in them having a tougher time dealing with rejection when they thought it was going well.
Reject Them Face-To-Face
It’s so tempting to just send them a quick rejection text because why bother going out of your way to see them, right? Well, it’s not really a great method as it shows the lack of respect you have towards them. Plus, meeting face-to-face offers further insight for the person being rejected to observe your emotions and body language that you are assertive in your answer.
Just note that if you feel unsafe when meeting them, ask a friend to accompany you or meet them in public.
How To Progress From Here?
Once you’ve properly rejected them, what’s the course of action to progress? If they reached out to you, there’s no need for you to respond so that they will understand your message. Avoid communicating with them through social media such as commenting or liking their posts because it will only lead to them think you’re giving them a chance. Ultimately, it’s advisable to cut off all communication to avoid both from being in an endless cycle of false hope and rejection.
