We’re all familiar with that old rhyme:
Sticks and Stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.
… thing is, words do hurt.
If you hear something enough you start to believe that it’s true.
Just because you hear it a lot, doesn’t mean it’s true. In fact, this works both ways. If we experience name calling over a period of time, we internalise it and start to think that it’s our own fault. It’s never true. Never believe that bullying is your fault. There are tons of different reasons why people bully. Check them out here.
Shame and embarrassment is the perfect combination for silence.
If someone’s calling you a name over and over again, tell someone about it. Not necessarily a teacher or a parent, just tell a mate. Keeping things a secret has the tendency to magnify the impact of the insult, making it hurt more the next time it is said. Getting it out in the open straight away disarms the name caller.
In the first instance, they’re probably only doing it for a reaction.
Showing them that it doesn’t affect you is a good way to get them to stop because it quickly becomes clear that the insult isn’t working.
Take action.
If it is persistent, don’t underestimate the impact that verbal abuse can have on your wellbeing. Just because you can’t see the effects, doesn’t mean they are not there.
We are powerless to control other people’s behaviour.
You have every right to tell the person that they can’t speak to you like that. Similarly, if you hear someone being verbally abused, you have a responsibility to say something if it feels safe to do so – don’t be a bystander.
Your self worth does not depend on other people’s opinions of you.
You are allowed to not be perfect and you should be ok with people not liking you. Sometimes personalities clash and that’s okay. Don’t spend too much time worrying what other people think – focus on what you think.
Counter out the bad with some good.
Here’s a curve ball, when someone says a mean thing, instead of coming back with something sassy, try ‘you look really great today’ or ‘did you fix your hair?’ That’ll be sure to confuse the hell out of them! 😉
If someone’s giving you stick at school and it’s stressing you out – Talk to us! Join our growing community of amazing people, where the only name you’re gonna get called is your username. ❤️
