Bullying is a serious issue that affect many people, particularly children and teenagers in school with one in five students report being bullied. Handling bullying can be challenging but here are 5 top tips to help you handle this issue.
1. Ignore the bully
Make every effort to ignore the threats made by the bully, act as if you weren’t aware of them, and walk off to a safe location. Ignoring the bully will demonstrate that you don’t care and they will soon lose interest in bothering you and give up. It’s a good idea to practice ways of ignoring the bully such as sending someone a text on your mobile phone or appearing uninterested. If you have friends around, the bully will be less likely to approach you, so make sure you stick together during the school day.
2. Stand up for yourself
Bullies usually target shy and vulnerable people so you should try to act brave and confident around the bully. Tell them to stop in a loud voice and calmly walk away. You could also receive support your friends, ask them to stand around the bully with you and say stop too. Since the bully is now surrounded by others who are also demanding at them to stop, this likely is going to scare them away.
3. Don’t retaliate
It’s important to stay calm and not react to the bully by hitting, kicking or pushing back. Fighting back will not only satisfy the bully and provoke them to continue, but it could also be dangerous and lead to someone getting injured.
4. Don’t show any emotions
It is natural to feel anger and distressed by the bully, but that’s what bullies want, they are expecting to thrive on this reaction. So, it is important to show no emotion when interacting with the bully. Since this can be difficult, it could be beneficial to practise some ‘cool down’ techniques. For example, some children find that counting to ten, taking deep breaths or simply walking away can be useful.
5. Seek Support
It is very important to seek help if you are bullied, you should discuss what is going on with someone you trust, such as a parent, friend or teacher. It could be helpful to receive support from school because bullies are more likely to stop once the teachers find out because they fear punishment from their parents. Sharing your experience with friends can provide emotional support, and they may be able to help you stand up to the bully. However, if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to someone you know, you can always reach out to a support service. The National Bullying Helpline is an anonymous resource that offers free online assistance to anyone experiencing bullying-related problems. If you would prefer to talk to someone in person, Little Lives UK offers children the opportunity to talk with professional therapists about their concerns in free counselling sessions.
Learn more about our charity campaign, ‘Someone To Talk To.’ We offer free one-on-one therapy sessions to support children who have experienced bullying.
References
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/bullies.html
https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/bullies.html#:~:text=Stand%20up%20for%20yourself.&text=Stop%20it!%22%20in%20a%20loud,no!%22%20and%20walk%20away
https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/kids.html
