It GiRL – September 2019

So,what

isbullying?

Needsomeone

tochat

to?

CouldI

behurting

others?

Bullying in disguise

exper

v

Bullying is defined as deliberate behavior
that you know will make someone feel bad
about themselves. It’s usually repeated
over and over and can be done in lots
of different ways. It doesn’t have to be
a physical act – it can be whispering or
hurtful comments behind your back and
can happen both on the playground
and online. Bullying can lead to low self-
esteem, anxiety and depression, which is
sonot cool. It can be hard to spot bullying
sometimes,

somake

sure you are familiar

withthe

different

waysitcan

happen,

soif

yousee

it,youcan

helpput

astopto

it.

KidsHelpline

isafree

andcompletely

private

andconfidential

servicefor

youngpeople

aged^5 to

25 years

old.Itisavailable

24 hours

aday,seven

daysaweek,

whichmeans

that

whatever

youare

goingthrough

• nomatter

howbig

orsmall

• thereis
  alwaysa
  friendly

andcaring

counsellor

readyto

listenand

help.Remember,

youareNEVER

alone.Yo u

cangethelp

bycalling

thenumber,

180055

1800

orlogging

onat:kidshelpline.com.au

Sometimes you might not even realise

that you are hurting someone’s feelings.

Look for signs that tell you the other person

feels uncomfortable, and focus on ways

that you can be a better friend. Also,

think about how you feel. Are you upset

about something or feeling a little jealous?

Chances are, you could be putting

someone else down because you don’t

feel good about yourself. Talk to someone

you trust about how you can resolve yourown problems.

tPeople

whobully

liketosee

areaction

intheirtargets.

Ifsomeone

embarrasses

you or makes you

feelbad,

givethem

your best smile and walk away.

sIf you are getting mean text messages

or emails, save them and show

someone you trust.

s It’s important to remember that you

don’t have to go through it alone. There

is always someone you can turn to for

help, like a parent or teacher.

Invisible or subtle bullying happens

when your besties treat you like

a friend, but sometimes can single

you out and make you feel like you

don’t belong. It may start out as

a few playful digs, but things can

get serious if it goes on for too long

and to a point where you don’t feel

comfortable anymore. On the flip

side, it’s important to think

about

what you are saying or what

you’re

agreeing with, because

sometimes

you could be bullying som

without even realising

What should I do if I

,

m being bullieD?

Amanda

Greh

counsellor

for

andhas

share

dealing with

1.STAYCALM

Sometimes,

a

canmake

th

takingslow

breaths

andthi

whatto

sayordo

next.

2.BEAN

UPSTANDER

Anupstander

issomeone

whopoints

outmean

behaviour

inakind

way.

Forexample,

youcould

say“we

don’t

leavepeople

outlikethat”

or“atour

school,

everyone

isallowed

toplay”.

3.MAKE

AJOKE

Making

ajokecan

beagreat

way

torespond

tosomeone

beingmean.

Forexample,

ifsomeone

putsyou

down,you

mightsay:

“Thanksfor

the

compliment!”

Makesure

anyjoke

you

makeisn’t

meanabout

someone

else.

4 BOUNCING

BACK

Thereare

thingsyou

cando

tohelp

yourself

feelbetter

and“bounce

back”,

suchasplaying

withsomeone

elseor

doingsomething

funthat

youenjoy.

5.GETSUPPORT

Ifpeople

keepbeing

meanon

purpose,

oryouare

findingit

hardto

dealwith,

it’s

okayto

talktosomeone

youtrust.

You

cantalk

toatrusted

adultlike

aparent

orteacher,

ortalkto

KidsHelpline.

etim

ne

itt.

47

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

IG Your World