What should I do if I am getting bullied?
Bullying can be defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior. This behavior can be repeated or happen once with the potential to be repeated over time. It can happen in school, in the estates, within the neighborhood or even at home.
Some forms of bullying like physical bullying can be easy to notice, but other forms like verbal, isolation/exclusion and cyber bullying may be hard to pick up on.
Bullying can be hurtful and scary. Physical bullying can become dangerous to one’s physiology, while together with other forms of bullying like verbal and cyber bullying, they can result in psychological harm to the bullied individual as well as the bullying individual. Bullying has the potential to affect one’s self esteem, cause depression and anxiety.
Given the range of possible harm that bullying can cause in the immediate and long term to the individual, it is important not to be silent if one is facing any form of bullying. Here are a few things you can consider to do if you or your friends are being bullied.
- Speak to a trusted adult on the incident
- Practice pausing and thinking before acting
- Appreciate individual differences as diversity and not deficiencies
- Stand up against bullying in support of a friend
- Reach out to peers who tend to hang out alone
- Avoid engaging in talks that attack others even if veiled as humor
As a teenager, it may feel like one does not have any one who would understand what one is going through and this often makes many teens go silent on bullying. Back when I was in primary school, when the school was being closed, some guys would “funga na wewe” (close with you) this usually involved being beaten by a number of other students. Some of us who were getting beaten never looked forward to closing day at school; some of us did not attend the closing ceremony.
Just like what I went through during my primary school days, you may also be going through something similar, or a different type of bullying. It could be physical, verbal, relational, cyber or sexual. Do not keep quiet about it.
Bullying happens due to a number of reasons:
- The bully may be exposed to similar behavior and may not know that it’s not okay
- Personal insecurity
- Being different and desiring to fit in
- Jealousy of others success
- Desire to stand out and show off
- Peer pressure
- Passing on one’s rejection
- Feeling superior/better than others
- Getting what they want
Remember, if you are being bullied, HURT PEOPLE HURT OTHERS, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT and you do not deserve it. Reach out to a trusted adult to help intervene
See you during our next teen’s workshop happening on Wednesday 22nd July as we talk about “Navigating the Challenges of Abuse”.
www.nawiri-wellness.com