Lifestyle | What is bullying? + My experience with being bullied

Bullying is an awful thing. Many people in this world have experienced it, if not first hand, they may have seen somebody else experience it or they may have even bullied somebody themselves. 50% of young people have bullied somebody else and 30% of those will do it weekly. This is simply shocking and so unexpected, but bullying isn't just being punched or kicked, bullying is so much more.

Bullying comes in many forms, from physical assault, teasing, making threats, name calling and cyber bullying. You may not even feel as though you are being bullied, but if it has happened more than once and you feel upset, frightened, sad or worried about being near a particular person or group of people, you are experiencing a form of bullying. Bullying isn't an uncommon thing, 43% of young people in the UK have experienced some form of bullying, so if you are being bullied, you are not alone and I am here to help you through it.

My experience with being bullied

I have personally experienced bullying on the receiving end, it's a horrible thing to have happen to you and it can completely overtake your entire childhood and teenage years, but YOU can get through it, just like I did.  I'd like to share my story with you all so that you know it's possible to get through it. If I can, so can you.

It all started in reception at Primary school when a fellow pupil took a disliking to me for no apparent reason. It started of with name calling and quickly progressed into her damaging my personal belongings. She snatched my coat from my hands, threw it into a muddy puddle and stomped all over it. I was around 5 at the time, so this really did upset me. That was my first experience of bullying and it didn't stop there.

I have been to numerous amounts of schools in which I have experienced bullying. I have experienced physical assault (being tripped up, kicked and pushed), I have experienced name calling (being called 'fat', 'ugly' and so much more), I have experienced my personal belongings being damaged, broken or stolen and I have also experienced online hacking from people I knew and cyber bullying too. I have endured many aspects of bullying and as I'm writing this, it's shocking me at actually just how much I have endured in my 18 years of existence. I remember how when I was being bullied, I never liked to call it that. I didn't want special treatment from teachers. I didn't want to admit that it was as bad as it was.

Throughout middle school I endured forms of social exclusion, this is where I was friends with a few girls but then another girl didn't like me being friends with her friends so then she kind of excluded me from them which meant I had no friends at all. When it got to high school, I had no friends whatsoever for the first year or two, I remember I would sit on a bench, outside in the rain and eat my lunch. No one came up to me and asked me how I was, no one even cared, it was horrible and I hate the fact that people are experiencing this right now, as I type.

Since starting college I haven't experienced anything from above. My first year of college was the happiest I had ever been in all of my education, everyone got along, discrimination didn't exist and everyone was mature enough to get along nicely. This year is no different, I have a good circle of friends now, which I have never had before. College is a much nicer environment than School, especially if you decide to go to a college where you barely know anybody; then they can't judge you on your past, which is nice.

Just remember that bullying isn't always face-to-face, especially in this day and age. Bullying can happen online these days, and in many ways this can be harsher and can make the victim feel a lot more anxious, isolated and upset. Bullying that has taken place over the internet is usually a lot harsher than verbal abuse in person, as the bully is hiding behind a screen. This can also mean that the cyber-bully has a heart as they just don't want to be mean to your face (especially if you know them in person). Cyber-bullying is just as serious as verbal and physical abuse/bullying, so don't ignore, make sure you tell somebody; please don't suffer in silence. 

If you are experiencing anything I have mentioned in this post, PLEASE don't do what I did. Please don't deny the fact that it's bullying, just admit it. PLEASE don't skip weeks of school. My attendance at school was AWFUL, absolutely shocking and this was all down to myself being bullied. My mum never, ever wanted me to be sad at school, she never wanted me to feel victimised or bullied, so whenever anything happened, she would let me have the day off. I am SO lucky as it never really affected my intelligence, education or learning ability and (not tooting my own horn) but I do believe myself to be a very able young woman. But please make sure you go in and hold your head up high. Tell a teacher, tell your parents and get the problem nipped in the bud before it progresses onto something a lot worse. Also, PLEASE stick up for yourself.

But on the other hand, if you are the person who is bullying somebody; please stop. You may not perceive it to be 'bullying' as such, but if you've read this and have recognised what I've described, as you're doing it, STOP!! It could be as simple as name-calling, social exclusion or laughing at somebody as they walk past you in the corridor at school - it isn't nice and it isn't admirable and I am urging you to stop it NOW. Stop bullying the girl or boy everybody in your school thinks is 'weird' because they like something that isn't mainstream or because they don't have the latest Nike trainers, or their hair isn't how you think it should look; everybody is unique, everybody is beautiful and nobody is perfect.

I will be doing many more anti-bullying articles and posts here on my blog. I will be exploring the various forms of bullying, such as; Cyber, Physical, Verbal and many more. Bullying can happen at any age, any gender, race, religion, shape, size or hair colour; Bullying is horrible and I wish that this world was free from all forms of it.

If you're feeling brave, let me know your bullying experience/story in the comments below. Alternatively, if you need somebody to talk to, feel free to get in touch; I am here for you all. PLEASE STAY STRONG!