[Quinzel]

I have ADHD And I find sharing advice on executive functioning in general can be useful or not useful for other ADHD people depending on their unique challenges so I won’t bother going into detail on my strategies for that. However, I understand how the reluctance to experience rejection can inhibit your ability to basically go for things and give it your all.

I honestly recommend trying to desensitise yourself to rejection by applying for jobs you don’t want/wont get, so you can get used to experiencing rejection in low stakes situations (basically in situations where you’re not going to be bothered if you don’t get the job). I’ve done this most of the last few years. I’ll occasionally apply for jobs I don’t want or scholarships I know I don’t meet the criteria for, and get rejected. I’m always surprised at how even when I don’t want a job, I can still be so sensitive about the rejection, but I’m proud to say that I’m getting used to rejection. More often than not now when I get a rejection email I just shrug it off. The past year has been a bit of a break through though thanks to my conscious decision to go for low stakes rejections on purpose (basically like a type of exposure therapy). I actually managed to ask a human being out in a real life situation (expecting to get rejected) and to my surprise they wanted to go out on a date with me. I applied for a job, and they flew me to the HQ just today actually for an interview. When you face your fears head on, I find that more doors seem to open for you, and life gets a bit more interesting. For anyone who struggles with rejection sensitivity, I recommend looking for opportunities to experience rejections in low stake situations.