Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: When rejection feels like a physical punch 😕

What is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)?

Have you ever felt extreme pain triggered by perceived rejection or criticism?

For some of us, feeling like we've failed short in some way can cause unbearable, restricting, and often impairing experiences.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is when someone experiences intense emotional pain when they feel they've been rejected or criticized. Unfortunately, RSD is something that's experienced by many ADHDers... me included.

Do you experience RSD?

How does it manifest for you?

No one enjoys being rejected, feeling criticized, or failing.

But for those of us who experience RSD, these emotions are felt significantly more severe. So severe that they often over shadow my other thoughts and feelings, logic is thrown out the door, and all I can think about is how I've been rejected unfairly.

So, what do you do when you experience RSD?

It's still a personal journey for me, but a few things which I find helpful include:

🗣️ Speak to a trusted friend who can help bring another point of view.

Call a friend who knows you well, who will be honest, and who will be able to offer support, as well as a serve of reality when needed.

❤️‍🩹 Acknowledge that my emotions are valid.

Remove the shame of what you're feeling. Accept that this is how you're feeling, and that it's not just an overreaction. Giving yourself grace to feel may reduce the severity of episodes.

📖 Be open about how I'm feeling.

If the person who hurt your feelings is a friend, be open about how you're feeling. Tell them. A friend would want to know.

👩🏻 Understand that what others say/feel is not necessarily about you.

Everyone has good and bad days. If someone is not as nice as they usually are, or, as nice as they could be, this does not mean they hate, or are upset with you. Say it again!

How do you manage RSD? I would love to hear your tips!