People Are Hopping On TikTok Rejection Therapy Trend
A new TikTok craze is getting people with social anxiety to face their fears in a wild way. It’s called “rejection therapy,” and it’s all about purposely putting yourself in awkward situations to get used to rejection. The idea is that by getting used to being turned down, you’ll get better at handling social situations. It’s kind of like another take on exposure therapy.
With over 70 million views on TikTok, many people are trying out the trend. In the videos, people put themselves in situations where they might be rejected, like asking strangers for money or requesting to prepare their own food at a restaurant. Some people have even shared that it has been transformative, with one person claiming it “changed my life in less than one year.”
Does Rejection Therapy Work?
While many are diving into the trend, some therapists have weighed in on its effectiveness. Elisa Martinez, LMFT, a therapist from San Francisco who knows a lot about anxiety, told SELF magazine that it’s more like a personal challenge than a professional therapy. It helps you face uncomfortable situations to get over your fear of rejection, but it’s not a replacement for real mental health care, especially if your social anxiety is severe.
However, some experts think it’s a great way for anyone wanting to boost confidence and take more risks.
Though this trend is new, its roots are not. Rejection therapy, partly inspired by Jia Jiang’s viral 100 Days of Rejection video series, is a form of exposure therapy that has been around for a while.
Jason Comely, a freelance IT professional from Cambridge, Ontario, in the early 2010s, faced social anxiety after his wife left him. He designed the card game to help himself and others get used to rejection. Each card in the deck has a task that involves asking for something that could lead to a “no.”
More TikTok Trends
The TikTok trends don’t stop there. If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok, you’ve probably seen people saying “very demure.” This trend kicked off with TikToker Jools Lebron (@joolieannie), who posted videos on how to be “very demure” and “very mindful.” According to Merriam-Webster, “demure” means “reserved, modest, or serious.”
Now, Jools is using the term in all sorts of videos, from looking sharp at work to being early at the airport. These clips have gone viral, and now everyone’s using “very demure” both online and in real life.
