Why rejection hurts so much-- and what to do about it I had no clue that our brains were wired to feel rejection as physical pain. It makes sense. Rejection is a normal part of living our day to day lives and it can hurt. I am guilty of feeling hurt when I am ignored or shut down by someone I care about. As a student, the best criticism I received was always in my written papers. I always want to improve my writing and those critiques really help. I was well aware that it was not healthy to put yourself down. I am not sure I would make a list of my positive qualities and write a paragraph about myself to improve my self-esteem. Recalibrating the Perfectionist Mind I am a perfectionist, so this article helped me think about a different perspective on things. "What ifs" are constantly in my life. I always want to make the right decisions. Poor coping skills with the unexpected during inconvenient times is something I struggle with. I think that I give myself...