Coping with re F


Linda Harrison looks at the mind hacks and techniques that can aid resilience


reelance journalists are certainly no strangers to rejection. You come up with a brilliant idea for an


article, spend ages crafting a pitch and email it to an editor.


Days or weeks later, you receive a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. Or


worse, the dreaded tumbleweed... When I first started freelancing, some days it didn’t bother


me at all; I knew rejection came with the job. But there were others where I didn’t bounce back so easily. I’ve always been curious about why – and what techniques other journalists have in their back pocket to keep going. The industry is changing so quickly. With more freelancers pitching, tighter editorial budgets and fewer editors to pitch to, what’s the secret to building resilience? Leila Ainge is a psychologist and host of the Psychologically Speaking podcast.


“Rejection hits our sense of identity and belonging before


our pride,” explains Ainge, who is a member of the British Psychological Society and a researcher specialising in imposter phenomenon, identity and resilience in freelance and independent workers. “ ’Journalist’ isn’t just a job title; it’s a social identity, a group you belong to, gain status from and feel recognised within,” she


“


Criticism can be hard to take – but you can flip it to your advantage. Helen Jane Campbell (pictured) is a coach for creative people, including journalists, and runs Write The Book, a membership group for authors-to-be.


• How do you prefer to receive criticism? Criticism can be useful when shaping careers, so be curious about how to invite it,


16 | theJournalist


whether written or verbal. You might not get the choice, but knowing your communication style gives you a head start.


• Think about how you offer feedback Getting comfortable with giving feedback might help you become more resilient about receiving it. Look for opportunities to practise and reflect on how it feels and what works for you.


adds. “This in turn might make us more avoidant as a coping mechanism. We might try to stay safe in our group identity by pitching for easy work or take fewer risks in our pitching.” According to Ainge, when goals are framed around avoiding failure, people feel more disappointment and stress.


There are many reasons a pitch doesn’t land and it’s often nothing to do with the quality of the idea


How to benefit from criticism


• Get comfortable asking for feedback Ask for LinkedIn testimonials. Inviting positive views can be a great way to warm up and


Don’t take it personally Catherine Balavage Yardley is a freelance writer and author who’s written for The Sunday Times, Newsweek and Metro. Her advice about having a pitch rejected? “Let it sting.” ”It hurts to be rejected,” she says. “That is a normal feeling. After the sting, move on and don’t linger on it. There are many reasons why a pitch is rejected. Either way, don’t take it personally.” Eve Menezes Cunningham is a freelance journalist, author and podcast host. She’s also a trauma-informed and neuro- affirming therapist, coach and senior-accredited supervisor. She says that while dealing with rejection is a large part of being a freelance journalist, this does not make it easy. “To be resilient and positive overall, it’s important to let


yourself feel all the feelings, just not wallow or let the feelings stop you,” she advises. “Who can you talk to? It might be a friend, partner, therapist, coach or someone else who gets it. Someone who knows the pain and who gets that it’s an occupational hazard, and isn’t going to either minimise how you feel or try to talk you into a different career. “Connecting with other freelance journalists in a friendly


and supportive online group can be really important. I’m still friends with some I met starting out.”


start seeing feedback as part of daily life.


• Change perspective We could choose to view criticism as information, research or data, not as an attack. Ignore views that are just mean or badly delivered, accepting only input that supports growth and learning.


• Finding the value In creative roles, we often put a lot of ourselves into our work, so negative feedback can sting and feel personal.


Taking a step back allows us to reframe what’s happening. If someone’s taking the


time to feed back and has put genuine thought into it, you might want to thank them. Or start a dialogue to learn more.


• Practise The more we give and receive feedback, the more normal it feels. After the initial discomfort, we might see how it can help and, perhaps, make some changes. This doesn’t mean changing ourselves – just honing our expertise.


BILLIE CHARITY


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