Bullying Outside Of School

Throughout your life there will always be people who dislike you or try to put you down whether that's at school, work, home life or simply with a group of friends and one of them may dislike you for no real reason whatsoever. It doesn't matter who you are whether you spend your life trying to be nice to others or do good things for people, you will always find people who are going to be mean and nasty for no reason other than seeing you as an easy target. What some people don't understand is that bullying doesn't just happen at school it can happen all through life or at any period. I'm going to talk about different situations outside of school which bullying can happen which can be common.

Dealing with bullying at work can be hard because you may be unsure where to turn to for help. It's not like at school where you have specific people to turn to for help or just to let them know about it such as friends or teachers you might be really close to. Work environments can be very stressful in which you might feel less welcome to let someone know what is happening. You could have someone you are very close to at work who you could tell, this would really help and they will probably encourage you to tell someone even though you don't feel inclined to. Bullying in a workplace can also be difficult to deal with because although you can leave and find another job it isn't that easy. Jobs are hard to come by and this job maybe a job you have been working hard to get for a long time. If this is the case do not let someone who is trying to bring you down get the better of you and make you want to quit. The best advice I can give in this situation is avoid them at all costs and if you can't avoid them ignore the nastiness and smile through gritted teeth. I know it's easier said than done however just remember you are the bigger person and you are always going to find nasty people wherever you are which means don't assume the grass is greener on the other side. If you can stick up for yourself this should help immensely. It can be difficult at work but if you can without getting into trouble stick up for yourself plus do it in a calm way else they'll know they've got the better of you. Another strategy that could work well is being really nice to them, this could totally confuse them and even if they are getting to you it'll show that you don't really care. If none of this does work and they carry on I will urge you to tell someone until something serious is done to stop it, no one should have to deal with bullying whatever age they are. If they're working in the same section as you you could ask if you could work in a different section to them or tell your boss if they could put you and that person in different areas so your not working together, it could literally be as easy as that. Never give up a job you love that is the most important advice I can give. Plus remember that everyone has to work with someone they don't like and most of the time you just have to let it go over your head and not take any notice of them.

In my opinion the worst kind of bullying is bullying that happens at home where you're meant to feel safe and secure. When I was being bullied at school I always looked forward to going home because it was a place where I felt most comfortable and could get away from the bullying so I dread to think what it's like for people who get bullied at home. If someone's being bullied at home they could be getting bullied at school as well so they can never get away from it. Typical bullying that happens at home could be when Mum or Dad get a new partner after separating and they have step siblings that could be bullying them or even worse their Step Mum or Dad could be bullying them. Being bullied by adults can be very harmful to younger people because it could be manipulative, verbal abuse basically bullying that isn't easy to identify. Bullying a child or young adult in this way can be seriously harmful and really affect the way their brain develops they might think it's acceptable to act this way towards others or feel significantly insecure and self conscious. It's hard to give advice in a situation that is so serious. You must tell someone such as your Mum or Dad or even a teacher, someone that won't judge you and is likely to believe you. It's extremely upsetting to think that some people feel like total strangers or prisoners in their own homes. The best advice I can give is as soon as you can financially and when you feel ready move out, get away from that situation. The sooner you can move out the better or if you're not old enough maybe there's an Auntie or other relation you can move in with. Never give up trying to find other options and always do what's best for you.

Bullying at college or Uni can be harder to deal with than at school because there might not be a specific person to go to for help or just to talk to about it that's professional. People could bully you more on what you're wearing or the way you look because you get to wear your own clothes etc. If you don't have many friends bullies might see you as an easy target plus with less teachers around than at school bullies are more likely to get away with it unless you let someone know. Try and find people who have the same interests as you and you will make friends easily. I found that making friends at college was easier than at school because you have more flexibility plus it's easier to find people with the same interests as you. Being with friends makes it easier to deal with bullying and telling them what is happening will help a lot. Don't feel guilty if you feel like you're spending too much time on your work because that will help with your future where as messing about all the time won't. So always put your work first especially if you're like me and have to work harder than most to get a good grade. You might also feel as if you're being bullied in a group of 'friends' so when you do pick your group of friends at college, school, uni or outside of these areas remember it isn't right if someone is putting you down or that group of friends as a whole. I urge you to get out of that friendship group if this is happening to you because friends are meant to make you happy and lift your spirits not put you down or 'joke' about your insecurities. It is actually surprising how many friendship groups have that one person they pick on. Always have friends that make you happy and that you can trust because life is hard enough to deal with without having friends who make you feel like crap.

If you are being bullied I advice you to read my post called How to Deal With Bullying which goes into more detail on how to deal with it whereas this was more about what other types of situations that bullying can happen in.