Whether as adolescents, teens, or adults, most of us have experienced bullying in some form or the other. It could have been about your weight, the way you look, where you’re from, false allegations thrown at you – bullying has many different forms.
Statistics show that in the US, 20.8% of students report being bullied, and that number only increases taking other continents into consideration. Especially among the youth, students who are victims of bullying suffer from anxiety, inability to focus, sleep difficulties, and other serious problems. But these can be avoided, if one knows how to deal properly with the situation at hand –
Report the problem
Bullying only aggravates when your silence makes bullies think that they have some kind of power over you. People, especially teenagers, think that keeping mum is the way to go for the fear of being branded ‘tattletales’. Tell someone in detail about what’s going on, it could be your parents or teachers. You could be more comfortable talking to your peers, but do not keep it to yourself. Whoever you talk to will help you come up with a logical solution to tackle the problem.
Don’t go into hiding
Being a victim of bullying doesn’t mean you have to skip school or ditch work. You have to show your bullies that you are brave and confident, and nothing can get you down. However, do not get aggressive or physical with them, it only adds to your worries. As tough as it is, simply ignore them. Keep your head up high, and act like what they say doesn’t bother.
Try not to show your feelings
This is probably one of the toughest ways of dealing with your bullies, but putting up an unfazed front for the bullies makes them ‘fed-up’ of bullying you, because they can see that it isn’t revoking any sort of reaction from you. Do not cry, scream, verbally abuse or assault them, because seeing negative reactions from you will only give them more power.
Talk to your bullies
As scary as this may sound, confront your bullies. This doesn’t mean that you have to attack or assault them in any way. If your bullies are non-aggressive, try and sit them down for a proper conversation. Ask them what is making them do this to you, it could be that you have wronged them in the past and now they’re out to get you. If you can work things out without having to report them, there’s nothing like it!
Know your laws
Every country has a set of anti-bullying laws in place. So if your situation gets out of hand, it may be the best option to pull out such big guns. However, do not lawyer-up without consenting someone close to you. There may be better ways to solve this, but if it comes to it, the law will come to your rescue
If you know someone close to you who is being bullied or if you yourself are a victim of bullying, there’s no harm in speaking out. Counsel them or get help, everyone has the right to feel like they can live safely and peacefully. Leaving it unreported only causes more of a psychological strain, which will lead to long-term damage in the long run.
