Bullying

Unknown-1

Bullies are damaged people. They have been badly hurt by something. That is very sad.

If you are reading this because you are being bullied I urge you to talk with someone. Bullying can make you feel like you are the bad person and can make you feel that there is no escape. Neither of those things are true but sometimes you need to find a friend to chat with to help you to remember that and to help you see the way forward.

Being bullied can make you think that your whole life is going to feel like this. If you get help it won’t. There will be an end to it. I know a lot of people who were bullied when they were younger but can’t think of anyone I know who has been bullied their whole life. I’m not going to say that has never happened because there are always exceptions but those very, very rare cases will be the people who sadly didn’t know how to find the right help – and you do.

Now there is a small possibility that something else is happening. Maybe you are reading this and you are the one that is bullying someone. Or maybe you aren’t the main bully but you are going along with a crowd of people who are bullying someone and you dare not stand out.

If you think you are being a bully, supporting a bully, or even just standing by and watching bullying without doing something about it, please talk to someone. You must put an end to it. I know I said I would never tell you what to think but there are some exceptions and this is one of those – hurting others is never right.

If you are the main bully then there is something going wrong in your life that is making you want to hurt others. Whatever that is you can get help for it. You might not even know what the cause is until you get help. You will feel better if you do. It will put an end to your hurt and the hurt that you are causing others.

If you are an observer of bullying then it can feel like it is dangerous to speak out. Sometimes the situation might be complicated and you might be worried that if you step in, you become the victim yourself. I suggest you find someone that you trust that you can talk to privately. You need to agree a way forward that protects you but also helps the person being bullied. There is always an answer but you must search for it. You are both intelligent young people, but you might need help from others to find the solution. There is never any shame in asking for help.