I DONT WANT TO BE BULLIED ANY LONGER!
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying is more than teasing or making fun of someone. “Bullying involves an initial desire to hurt, this desire is expressed in action, someone is hurt, the action is directed by a more powerful person or group, it is without justification, it is typically repeated, and it is done so with evident enjoyment.”
The Most Common Types of Bullying are:
- Verbal e.g. harassment, threats and name-calling
- Exclusion
- Spreading malicious rumours
- Physical violence
- Damage to property
- Cyber bullying – e.g. texting, face book, phone, manipulating photos, YouTube. Cyberbullying adds a level of complexity to bullying. Due to the anonymity of technology, amount of information available on the internet, the 24/7 nature of technology and the increased confidence the bully feels because they’re not ‘face to face’, bullying in this space is often relentless, enduring, and more extreme. Many forms of cyberbullying are actually illegal and can be reported to the authorities.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN BULLYING?
Bullying involves more than just the perpetrator of bullying, aka ‘The Bully’, and the victim of bullying, aka ‘The Victim’. Bullying also involves those who watch and allow bullying to occur, aka ‘The Bystander’.
WHAT CAN I DO IF I AM BEING BULLIED?
- Seek help: those who seek help to manage bullying early are often able to prevent the issue from worsening. There are many options for help including the school counsellor, a psychologist, a friend, a parent or websites. You might also like to talk to your school principal.
- Stand up for yourself: be confident and learn to assert yourself against the bully.
- Talk to someone: find out what techniques others have used to stop bullying.
- Build self esteem: self esteem often drops considerably if you are being bullied, with anxiety and depression being the number one consequence. Do something that makes you happy and feel good about you.
- Have empathy: bullying experts believe that the ability to empathise and relate to others can be a great deterrent against the commencement of bullying and can help victims better understand that bullying is about the perpetrator rather than the victim.
- Don’t be a bystander: many bullying experts consider the bystander to play a huge role in stopping bullying, by speaking up and saying no to bullying.
- Practice appropriate avoidance: stay clear of the people who bully you and the places they bully you.
- If it’s happening online: know your privacy and safety setting and make use of them.
If you or your child are being bullied or are worried about someone who is being bullied, why not give us a call today?
Our team of highly skilled and well-experienced Psychologists and Allied Health Professionals are here to help.
Call us now and take that first step towards obtaining the life you deserve.’
We also offer remote telehealth consultation or if you are in Cleveland or Loganholme in Qld Australia, book an in-person appointment with our psychologists