Thank you for pitching unfortunately we won't be accepting this, but I hope it finds a great home.

Best wishes.

We were impressed with your CV, but sadly we have decided to go with another person.

Best regards.

Sometimes heartbreak doesn't only come from love, It can come from rejection too.

I wanted to give this article a title like "How To Handle Rejection Like A Pro" but it occurred to me that no matter how good you are with rejections, you will still feel that heartbreak whether big or small after being rejected. So let's face it, Rejection Hurts.

When I started writing, I got so many rejection emails from editors that I had sent my pitches, I could remember a time I was so hopeful about a particular pitch that when it got rejected, I burst into tears. I was frustrated and I felt like something was wrong with me, I stopped pitching for months and even left writing generally. 

 Everybody has one time or another faced rejection, either in a relationship, when looking for jobs, pitching to editors, getting ignored by someone, or even a toddler who wants to touch fire gets a NO for an answer.

Rejection is like having one's hope dashed, the feeling of rejection is likened to physical pain, like how you feel when you mistakenly close the door against your fingers. For some, the feeling goes away as quickly as it comes while for others it is hard to force the feeling out of their head. 

Rejection can be like a two-edged sword, for some it can lead to anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem, and depression while for others it can have a positive impact like enabling them to work better on themselves.

When dealing with rejection it is important to know that one is not alone,  at a point in time everybody has been rejected even though it can be in a different way. However, one does not get to decide how to react to it and cannot fully master the aftermath feeling of rejection. 

Despite not getting to decide one's reaction towards rejection, one can learn how to cope with or handle rejection such that it doesn't affect us as much as it should.

 Acknowledging one's rejection is one way to cope with or handle rejection. Accept the fact that you got rejected and it is okay because everyone has gotten rejected before. Brushing off the feeling as though you are not hurt by it, means running away from it and this will only prolong your pain so it is always best to deal with your feelings and acknowledge the emotions you feel when you get rejected.

 Another way of coping is talking about it, you can choose a friend who has had a similar experience, and share your disappointment with them, that way you get to talk about your emotions with someone who has once gone through it before. I remember talking to a fellow friend about the emails I got and I felt really better after I shared my thought, knowing I was not the only person facing it actually encouraged me in moving on quickly.

Another thing is having a positive mindset, instead of dwelling on the negative aspect of rejection, think about the positive effect because most times rejection can be a nudge for you to do better. You have taken a step towards progress, getting rejected gives you room to work more on yourself and this might reduce your chances of getting rejected again.

Just because you got rejected does not mean you can't try again. Keep trying until you get a positive result. 

It is often tempting to blame oneself for getting rejected, this can dampen one's spirit and lead to sadness, depression amongst many other negative impacts, so it is better to always bear in mind that rejection is not your fault and there are chances that you might get a Yes the next time you try.

I was in a group full of writers and one time I was motivated to write again, I wrote a pitch and it got rejected again but since I already knew how to cope with rejection I kept writing, sometimes I get a positive reply, sometimes I don't but it doesn't matter, the most important thing is that I keep trying and I will always give myself a kudos for trying.

You getting rejected doesn't mean it won't happen again but what matters most is the willingness to always pick yourself up after each rejection.