I created “Dysphoria” in an attempt to capture the painful feeling of being rejected. Dysphoria , in this context means , an intense , overwhelming emotional pain triggered by the perception or reality of being rejected , criticized , or falling short of expectations. We have all felt this pain. We have all faced the sting of rejection. It’s doesn’t matter what you look like , where you come from , how you grew up or what you believe , you felt it… Rejection isn’t a sign of your true self worth , but the pain is real. Often times it has everything to do with what’s happening inside of the other person and nothing to do with you. It doesn’t change the fact that it hurts but it does make it easier to understand. We all push people away for different reasons. We also pull people close for all kinds of different reasons. Some are pretty normal like the need for love or companionship. Some are really complex like unmet childhood needs. The reasons we push people away can be a little less obvious. A little harder to see. In ourselves and others.