How to deal with bullying as an Adult

We all remember that one child in school who always used to pick on someone, the one who would push other children over in the playground or who would leave other children out of their games. It was bullying then and if similar things happen now, its still bullying no matter how old you are.

Bullying can come in various forms, it can be physical or it can be psychological. It can be as simple as name calling or belittling and it happens all around us. Breaking a person down so much that they walk on eggshells and feel nervous and anxious constantly. This can affect a person’s everyday life.

Bullies aim to intimidate others, to make them feel worthless and unimportant. I recently learnt that no matter how old you are, you’re never too old to be bullied.

As an adult, situations of bullying can be a lot more difficult to get out of. Sometimes it happens in your workplace, college/ university or within your family or friendship circle. I understand that if bullying takes place in certain circumstances, there may be financial or social consequences but honestly in my opinion, you’re safety and happiness is far more important than anything else.

I endured a situation over a long period of time that left me feeling constantly on edge, intimidated and left me with an inability to be myself and relax. The mental and physical effects on my body and my mind were unimaginable. I only realised the stress I was putting myself under when I escaped that situation and noticed the change in myself and my mindset.

The only reason I was able to cope for so long was by speaking to my family and my friends about it whenever I could. The best thing I did was talking about it, how it made me feel and how down I was because I knew the worst thing I could do to myself was keep everything in and bottle it up. As cliche as it is, talking really is the way forward.

Maybe you don’t want to burden your family or you’re scared your friends will get bored of you talking about it, that’s okay too. Sometimes talking to people that aren’t close to the situation can help. Maybe a colleague or a teacher as long as its somebody you feel you can trust. Whatever you’re going through and however low you feel, there are people who care and you should never have to feel trapped and alone.

Just like all the anti- bullying campaigns say, you should never suffer in silence. All you need is just one or a few people who you know will listen to you. If you are in a position where you are able to remove yourself from the situation and put distance between yourself and your bullies then do it. It will be better for you and I promise life will seem just that little bit better. Bullying is not big and it isn’t clever and those who bully other people are just too small- minded to see how they are making others feel.

I felt trapped and I felt like I was being stupid for getting so upset over small things. Since removing myself from the situation, I see that in fact I was stupid for putting up with it for so long, my only regret is that I wish I’d done it sooner.