3 Strategies to Manage Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is a concept involving a person who experiences extreme emotional pain due to feelings of rejection and shame. It is a very common symptom of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as it is both neurological and genetic. The key feature within the condition includes a disproportionate response afterward to the perceived or real rejection. For example, if someone doesn't text them back immediately or leaves them on read they may send a scathing text message back or internalize the non-response as "They must hate me", "I must have done something wrong," "I'm such a loser," "I'm just not good enough for anyone." They may even delete, block, ghost or unfriend that person from all contact and social media.
#rejection sensitive dysphoria
#adhd rejection sensitive dysphoria
#rsd

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The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are in crisis, please contact a mental health professional or emergency services. Reliance on this information is at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions about a mental health condition.

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[kathrynmcnerney]

I spiral really quickly over tiny things and it can ruin days for me.

[Life_is_a_Garden]

This is me. Dealing with this right now as I type. It is absolute torture and I am gutted. Thank you for this. I pray one day I can be free.

[robantsin]

I don't know if you realize but everything here described as symptoms and causes for RSD are literally the exact same as those with C-PTSD. Before you say it's not PTSD, C-PTSD is vastly different from PTSD and when caused by childhood trauma gives the exact same symptoms as RSD. In people with ADHD, it is much more debilitating because the resulting combination of symptoms from when C-PTSD gets added to ADHD because of the childhood trauma creating an additive effect of compounding the effects/symptoms of each.

[littlebird]

Extreme emotional pain is right. I’ve been having a bad bout of of it for the past few days. It feels like my nerves are on fire, like an internal sunburn.

[Fred-ffbv]

i have simply chosen to live in solitude so much as it is realistically possible. i will continue to strive for perfection in all that i do. and if people don’t feel safe around me then they are more likely to leave me alone.

[liptongtr]

Yep this exactly describes me. Nice to have a definition for what I've been dealing with. Now I just need to fix it.

[jayweiner]

Thanks for the added insight. Being an HSP makes RSD slightly more challenging to work with. Having narcissistic siblings? 100x more challenging. My #1 coping skill is self-affirmation when/where possible.

[bugbile]

i only just figured out that this is something i suffer from. at the slightest worry that i may be rejected, i don’t take it out on anyone except myself, and i worry constantly, thinking that people don’t like me and i worry about all the dreadful outcomes that come from it. i worry so much about it actually, i can either- feel like i’ve been shot, feel like i’m on a rollercoaster, or feel like i am about to throw up. it is literally the worst feeling in the world. i hate it so much.

[finchcarvingadiamond]

I wish I could just turn off my brain when I get triggered. I am constantly paranoid at work that everyone hates me, and then today some customers were cursing me out and calling me a sl*t and throwing shit at my car while I was on break. It was so hard not to punch something or disappear in a ball as all the bad past bullying memories suddenly flooded my mind nonstop. Breathing/mantras in the janitors closet didn't help. It was physically painful and took hours for me to be myself again. I wish I could take a pill only when needed to make the pain go quicker.

[karimiller]

When the trigger happens, my emotions are hijacked and I can’t get out of it… then I flee, shut down.

[TheMusicalElitist]

So glad I found this.

This is why I keep myself to myself. I maybe alone, but at least I am not rejected all the time. Being rejected never gets any easier - even if you have a defense mechanism.

[dillpickle]

The last tip is the best tip in my opinion, anger makes you do stuff you will regret.

[zarinadawn]

“Collectively we contribute to the problem, and collectively we must engage.” Absolutely love this quote! With an adult partner who recently uncovered ADHD, this is such a helpful reminder to me. I just want to find ways I can support and engage appropriately.

[monaami]

It's crazy how long I am in therapy and with various psychiatrists and no one ever brought this stuff up.. it's like having a broken car and looking for car mechanic that can fix it for 10 years, and having parts constantly exchanged, and after spending a fortune, finding a mechanic who says "it's this thing" and then you look at it, and only then you see by yourself that it is obviously broken. And then thinking was I going to car mechanics until now or were they bakers or something.

[williamhbynumiii]

My wife has RSD; I have my own trauma I work through, so it’s difficult for me too on another level.
It’s very disheartening.

[AxleBoost]

I hate that I discovered this so late in my life. It's too late I think, to fix things...

[StevenNess]

“Friendly jabbing between peers contributes to intimacy” this blew my mind, I am so dumb, is this how it works? This legitimately opened my eyes.

[coupecruiser]

This is absolute gold. I realised that RSD is something I was living with, but I guess meditation has helped me a great deal, and now I have been a coach for a number of years, I recognise it in one of my female clients who repeatedly struggles with relationships.

I do practice DBT on myself but I didn’t know that is what I was doing. All I know is that after I am triggered to pause, and ask my unconscious mine what the hell is going on and what emotions and feeling are present as a result.

Then pose the question, what are these feelings and emotions instructions me to do?

If I were to carry out those instructions who’s they produce a positive or negative result?

If negative, don’t do it.

All this comes from William Whitecloud’s book ‘The Natural Secrets Of Success”.

So happy that I found this. Thank you.

[rokeishiarodgers]

I like the opposite action because I tend to react too fast then later down the line I think about how I could have handled it differently. I think I have ADHD..never been diagnoses but I recognize the symptoms within myself. Have cried about it many times and really struggle in a lot of areas.... I want to do better for ME because RSD mostly affects me. It is frustrating feeling rejected so much it makes me retreat. So thank you for this video

[abrahamhorowitz]

Oh, man. My family totally puts me down whenever I feel RSD. I'm told not to be dramatic and that I'm being abusive if I voice any of my feelings when it hits me. I don't yell or put anyone but myself down. I usually only yell if I'm truly overwhelmed, which isn't often due to my military experience. Thank you for the tips, though.