Bullying Hurts
By Charlotte Mathews and Tiffany Truong
What is bullying?
"The Five Types of Bullying"
Physical bullying
Physical bullying involves hurting another person through physical force repeatedly over a period of time. It’s quite common in schools. The actions can include spitting, shoving, kicking, punching, and much more. Usually the bully is larger than the target and may be in a group. This type of bullying is done to display that the bully is much more superior and has control over the target.
Verbal Bullying
Cyber Bullying
Social Bullying
Psychological Bullying
Psychological bullying is a form of bullying where the victim is given dirty looks from the bully and the victim feels intimidated. This can also be because the bully would use certain words to affect the victim’s state of mind. The victim’s belongings can also be stolen and they may be stalked by the bully.
The Effects of Bullying on an Adolescent's Physical, Social and Mental Health
Effects of Bullying on an Adolescent’s Physical Health includes them:
- Not eating, causing them to lose weight
- Feeling sick
- Inflicting self harm
- Experiencing headaches
- Concentrate less in school or even purposely avoid it
Effects of Bullying on an Adolescent’s Social Health Includes Them:
- Not wanting to talk to others, therefore making them isolated and unhealthy (in terms of socialising)
- Possibly losing friendships because of avoiding to talk about the issue/ to talk to them in general.
- Feeling wary of other people.
Effects of Bullying on an Adolescent’s Mental Health Includes Them:
- Being depressed
- Thinking constant negative thoughts
- Putting themselves down
- Having nightmares
- Having feelings of loneliness and isolation
- Having thoughts about suicide
- Having low self-esteem
- Feeling alienated
Strategies To Cope With Bullying
- Walk away from the bully. Bullies want to know they have control over your emotions so don’t react with anger or fight back with physical force. If you walk away, ignore them, or calmly and assertively tell them you’re not interested in what they have to say, you’re demonstrating that they don’t have control over you.
- Report the bullying to a trusted adult. If you don’t report threats and assaults, a bully will often become more and more aggressive. In many cases adults can find ways to help with the problem without letting the bully know it was you who reported them.
- Don’t blame yourself. It is not your fault. No matter what someone says or does, you should not be ashamed of who you are or what you feel.
- Be proud of who you are. Despite what a bully says, there are many wonderful things about you. Keep those in mind instead of the messages you hear from bullies.
- Get help. Talk to a parent, teacher, counselor, or other trusted adult. Seeing a counselor does not mean there is something wrong with you.
- Learn to cope with your stress. Finding ways to relieve stress can make you more resilient so you won’t feel overwhelmed by bullying. Exercise, meditation, positive self-talk, muscle relaxation, and breathing exercises are all good ways to manage the stress from bullying.
- Repeat as necessary. Like the bully, you may have to be relentless. Report each and every bullying incident until it stops. There is no reason for you to ever put up with bullying.
Sources That Can Help
Bullying. No Way!
www.stopbullying.gov/get-help-now
Your Parents
Your parents will always be there to support you and are always so understanding. Always tell them about your bullying issues because if you don’t you’ll find that it only gets worse.
Counselors
Our Recommended Website:
We recommend this because:
- There are different categories and subcategories to show that everyone can experience it at any age, and because of this, the facts are filtered for different age groups, even parents and teachers, for them to understand.
- Information about bullying, when you are bullied, when you’re called a bully or even when you know someone is being bullied is shown.
- Activities to do to encourage to stop bullying are on the website.
- There is a page dedicated on how to get help and/or who to talk to.