We’re often told that we need to respond to rejection gracefully, that it’s a natural part of life, so “don’t think about it,” brush it off, and move on. While this is true in some instances, the laissez-faire approach to rejection might also hold us back. While rejection is undoubtedly good for self-growth and is needed to advance in life, no matter how “needed” it may be, rejection hurts, and we don’t acknowledge that enough. But can we accept rejection without dwelling on it? While we can’t prevent facing rejection, we can learn how to embrace it so that maybe, it can hurt a little less. 

Let’s face it — the past year has all of us feeling some level of fatigue. Even under normal circumstances, fatigue, stress, and overwhelm are common; we’re only human. Though it’s a shared experience, we often underplay the level of fatigue or overwhelm we’re experiencing, which can not only further our fatigue but can create feelings of isolation.

Feeling “burnt out” has become a common phrase amongst tired people, so it’s not unusual to hear this around the office. The issue with normalizing the phrase is that when people are actually burnt out, they aren’t taken seriously as it’s typical to just shrug it off.

Though most people see Spring as a stepping stone we must cross over to get to Summer, it’s a great time for growth and change, both personally and professionally. This Spring, there’s a lot of change happening — vaccines are steadily rolling out, and the hope of returning to “normalcy” is within reach. As some of us start to head back into our offices, I’m hopeful about those lingering promises to “do better” that many of us made this past year. It’s also my hope that these promises are fulfilled, and it’s up to us to hold our companies accountable so that these important topics of inclusion and diversity in the workplace span further than just during a movement or national month.