A young woman who was ‘crippled by a fear of rejection’ says she has cured herself by doing a series outrageous challenges in public.
Sophie Jones compiled a list of of dozens of challenges to undertake as therapy for the phobia which she has struggled with all her life.
So far, the 22-year-old managed to tick 45 things off her list—including walking into a lake fully clothed while people were swimming around her and asking shoppers to give her items from their cart.
Her favorites include challenging strangers to games of rock, paper, scissors and asking to make pizza in a pizzeria kitchen.
“Doing things that terrified me changed my life, and my confidence has skyrocketed,” she said.
Sophie, who lives in Warrington, England, said she experienced a lot of rejection throughout her teenage years. By the time she was 15, she was being bullying in school, which she says made her feel awful.
She said she became terrified of experiencing rejection and started shying away from friendships and opportunities. She didn’t want to put herself forward for things like new jobs or friendships due to low self-esteem.
“I was scared to make more friends. I felt I had no confidence within myself, I saw others with opportunities and thought, ‘why did I not have them?’”
“I felt like it was holding me back. I felt like I’d lost control of my life. I struggled with my mindset and outlook on life.”
In February, she became aware of a treatment called “rejection therapy,” that can treat a fear of rejection—from which she realized she was suffering.
This model is a form of exposure therapy that urges people to actively try to get rejected as much as possible.
After seeing another woman online asking for a free coffee in a shop, she decided to start her own “fear list”, which made the social media manager feel inspired, but also very nervous. (See her video below showing a few of her challenging moments…)
“The fact that someone could put themselves out of their comfort zone, I aspired to have that confidence. I knew it was possible.
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“When I first started, it was awful. The anxiety of asking someone a question would eat me up all day. I was scared of being judged. But now, I’m thriving and living my life to the fullest with less fear.
“I have always seen people dance and sing in the street and I thought they must have a strong mindset. I knew it was my next step; I’ve motivated myself and grown my confidence.”
Since discovering the method, Sophie has been able to make her own ice cream in an ice cream van, and even climbed up stairs in public on all fours.
She has challenged herself to ask a mattress store manager if she could sleep in one of the beds, and even asked to slide down a fireman’s pole.
“When I asked if I could have my fuel for free the woman gave me a dirty look and asked why I would want it for free. It can be so nerve-racking at first.”
As the challenges progressed Sophie found herself receiving fewer rejections—which she says is due to her being more confident.
Now, she feels free from rejection anxiety, and recommends other people do this too.
“I want everyone to realize they can do anything they want. The greatest opportunities are just around the corner.”
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“Anyone can do rejection therapy. It doesn’t have to be anything big, it can sometimes just be just asking for the bill at a restaurant, you can start small.”
But, Sophie’s upcoming challenges are getting bolder. She wants to go on a walk wearing a shower cap and to sing on a train. (Check out her video clips below…)
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