What can I do?

There are many things that you can do to try and stop bullying.

The most important thing to do is speak to someone, and tell him or her exactly what it is that is happening to you. You can speak to a teacher, tutor, parent, friend or an organisation such as Bullywatch, or just someone that you trust. It will always feel much better to tell someone, they will be able to help you deal with the bullying or tell you who you can go and speak to, to help you out. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to tell someone about being bullied. Even though it can be a very difficult thing to do it will always be for the best, as they will be able to help you through the difficult times and try to resolve the problems you are experiencing. You could also try to walk away, don't let the bullies have their fun, if you walk away they will have no-one to pick on.

Try to stay in areas where there is an adult present who will be able
to see if bullying is happening.

Try to be more assertive, bullies pick on people that are unconfident, shy etc. If you try and act confident and answer the bullies back with a smart remark then you may put them off picking on you.

Try to keep a diary of what has happened to you and when. That way when you tell someone about what has been happening to you, you will be able to relay the exact details of what was said or done and when. it is particularly important that if you are being bullied by text message, phone calls or emails, that you try and keep a record of when these occured and if you can, save the messages and print off the emails. these can always be traced back to the person who sent them no matter how careful they think they are being in hiding their identity. If you have this it is then evidence to prove what has been going on and it will be very valuable when telling someone about what has been happening.

Don't lash out at the bullies, try not to become violent or let them know they are annoying and upsetting you. if they think that they are not affecting you they might get bored and leave you alone. if you retaliate then you will probably make the situation worse for yourself, as they will know that what
they are doing is getting to you.

Don't bully others in order to release you anger. Some victims of bullying turn to bullying others in order to make themselves feel better,
however this is not the solution.

See if you can find out if there are other people being bullied like yourself, you can then discuss your experiences with them and they will be able to understand fully what it is you are going through. Some schools have a peer-mentoring scheme where you can talk to other pupils and they can help
you sort out your problems.

Joining a club or youth group can help you to take your mind off the bullying. It can also be a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. One way to help you deal with the bullying is to join a Friendship Group; they may not have a group such as this in your area so you could ask your school if they could set one up. Please click here to find out more information about Friendship Groups and how you can set one up in your local area.

Sometimes it helps to read books about bullying, where you can identify characters like yourself and see how they deal with bullying issues. To read a review of the book 'Driftwood' by Cathy Cassidy click here.

Whatever is happening to you please don't give up, as there is always someone who will listen. Remember that it is not your fault that you are being bullied, do not feel ashamed or to blame for the problem.

Please feel free to phone or email BullyWatch if you feel that you would like more personal advice concerning your own problems. All cases of bullying are different and what works in one situation may not work in another.