You know you are being bullied when someone, or a group or ‘gang’ make a habit of acting towards you in a way that is meant to hurt you or harm you – either emotionally (your feelings), or physically (your body). They know they are doing it and they do it more than once. If there is someone or a group of people making you feel like you are useless, or you don’t belong – they are bullying you.
There are lots of different ways that bullying happens, much more than just being ‘picked on’. Here are some of them:
Verbal Bullying: If either of these is happening to you, you could be a victim of verbal bullying:
- Someone is spreading nasty rumours about me
- Someone is threatening to hurt me
Physical Bullying: If someone, or more than one person is doing this to you, you could be a victim of physical bullying:
- Pushing; Kicking; Hitting; Spitting; Biting; Pulling; Crowding etc.
(Unwanted touching or contact in any intimate or sexual areas may also be sexual abuse – check out our other links on this site.)
Psychological (Mental) : If any of this is happening to you, you could be a victim of psychological bullying:
- Someone is threatening or scaring me
- Someone is breaking or damaging or hiding my stuff
- Someone is making me do something I wouldn’t choose to do, or don’t want to do
Social Bullying: If this is happening to you, you could be a victim of social bullying:
- Two or more people are ‘ganging up’ on me to make sure I am left out of things and making me feel inferior, unwanted and a ‘loner’
Cyber / Tech Bullying: If any of these are happening to you, you could be a victim of cyber / tech bullying:
- Someone is making threats about me by email / by text / online chat etc
- Someone is spreading nasty rumours about me by email / by text / online chat etc
- Someone is making me feel inferior through the use of online games, tools or other technology
It is possible to be a victim of more than one kind of bullying. If you are being bullied, remember that you are not alone, and bullying is NOT okay. Bullying isn’t a normal part of growing up. Check out our other links about bullying to find out how to deal with bullying in a safe way.
Remember that you are important. Your life counts, and you can make a difference in this world. If you ever need to talk about this or anything else, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re here for you.
