Bullying: Dealing with bullying

   I’m pretty sure that you would agree that bullying is something that happens on a regular basis in schools. Most of the times, the victims of bullying are the younger teens (that’s not to say that some older teens aren’t bullied) and the bullies bigger and more mature physically than the victims. To me, bullies bully because they probably feel inadequate and reckon that unnecessary show of power can make them look less inadequate. Alternatively, it may have to do with upbringing, say; they are the firstborn and constantly have authority over their younger siblings with possibly no one to oppose their “authority” or they probably grew up in an abusive home and feel that the only way to be heard is by bullying.
   Looking at the other side of the coin though, some bully just because they can and others to gain acceptance of a specific group of people- or they just like the smell of trouble. Having said that, here are some ways to avoid and deal with bullying:

If you are still in secondary school has “zero-tolerance” for bullying, report to the required authority. Even though you might have been threatened, it’s better to take your chances and speak out.

Speak about it at home: even though being bullied isn’t something to be proud of, speaking to somebody about it at home could help a lot. The chances are; the bullies are punished and they would probably call you mummy’s boy/girl (guess that wouldn’t hurt much as long as the bullying ends) or you get withdrawn if it’s really bad.

Set your boundaries: if you are new to a place, it’s best to set your boundaries i.e. know those to mingle with, those to smile at and those to speak to often and not. Some people may interpret this as pride or being rude but I believe it’s better that than being bullied for no strong reason- not like there’s a good reason to bully though.

  It’s not every bully that setting boundaries would work for, for some you would have to warm up to them. Yes, warm up to them because like I said earlier, some people bully because of their insecurities, let them understand that violence doesn’t bring peace and it doesn’t always mean they would get their way or make their mark through violence. Bottom line, some bullies may seem hard on the outside but soft on the inside, so pick at the softness.

Fight back: not like I support violence, but sometimes fighting back would end your being bullied- especially if it’s just a person. Some people might bully you because they sense that you are weak and when you fight back, you prove them wrong, even if neither of you wins the fight –so to speak– besides we are always admonished to face our fears. Fighting back would at times make your bullies see you as someone not to be messed with and that should ward off any potential bully.
  If you were once bullied please do tell us how you dealt with it in the comments.