I understand the biological and emotional reasons explaining why we want to be accepted by others. But have we ever stopped ourselves long enough to recognize that we were not born to be accepted and loved by everybody? That each time somebody isn't interested in you or leaves you hanging, that you might just be different? At different stages in life? Different goals? Different attraction? I'm just wondering, in this moment, why when we've been denied connection with another individual, it cuts so deep at our self-worth? For it does not mean you weren't good enough or beautiful enough, but rather that your souls weren't aligned at that time.
Rejection hurts. It hurts even when you understand the rationale and the complexities, but it does not need to be shameful. Thank your stars for allowing it all to happen and therefore opening new doors for you down the road. Too, be thankful for the connections and memories you did make. Appreciate them for who they are as humans and what they were to you- adventurous, mysterious, deep, short-lived, etc.- and not for what you believed they could be. Life sorts itself out.
And, as always, respect, love, and compassion come first. Towards yourself and others.