You can feel alone when you are dealing with bullying. It may feel like there's nothing you can do about it. You might tell yourself that trying to stop it might make things worse.
Bullying can affect how you feel. It can also affect your work, home or school life.
Here are some things to do if you're being bullied.
Talk to someone
Telling someone is important. If you are being bullied or threatened, or feel you are in danger, tell someone immediately.
Sharing your experience can help you feel better. It can also be the first step to getting support.
Find out who to talk to at work, school or your club. Many organisations have a bullying policy. Find and read this policy. It can tell you what steps to take and who to talk to.
If the organisation does not have a bullying policy, ask to talk to the person in charge and explain what happened. Ask them what they are going to do. If you are not happy with the response tell them this and ask if there is someone else you can talk to.
Talking to a friend or family member can also help you feel supported. They might not know what to do, but talking to them can help you feel less alone.
If you feel like you are not being taken seriously, you can talk to your GP or a trained therapist such as a counsellor.
If you are being seriously threatened or physically attacked, go to the Gardaí.
Working it out yourself
You might decide to try and work it out yourself.
Walking away and ignoring the problem can work. But sometimes its best to let the bully know that what they are doing is not OK first.
When doing this look the person in the eye and be confident with your body language. You could say something like, "I want you to stop what you are doing or saying because it is offensive." Then walk away.
It the bullying continues leave the area as soon as you can, tell someone what happened and ask for help.
For less serious types of bullying the following things can help:
- be nice - your kindness can highlight the bad behaviour or throw them off track
- use humour - for example, you might say "there you go saying nice things about me again!"
- be kind to yourself - remember there are people who accept you for you who are
If you are being bullied often, its very important to be nice to yourself while you work out what to do.
Do
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remind yourself this is not your fault - you deserve to be accepted for who you are
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find someone to talk to who you know will be kind and helpful
Get support
You can contact a helpline or listening service for more support.
Organisations that provide mental health supports and services