Bullying is a prevalent problem in society. Not just in real life, but cyberbullying via social media as well.
It has several negative results for the victim and potentially for the friends and family of that person as well. That’s why it’s important to learn how to stop bullying. One of the ways to do this is to become more tolerant of each other.
Harming others is not, and should never be, okay. That’s why we need to acquire the skills to stop this toxic, vicious cycle.
How to stop getting bullied?
Stay calm
One of the first steps to stop getting bullied is remaining calm under pressure.
When you are relaxed, you make better judgment calls, and you seem less anxious, fidgety, and afraid, and this will always be noticeable in your behavior. Calmness is associated with confidence and being in control. And bullies don’t like it when others are in control of their actions.
Staying calm is not the same as enjoying or consenting to the ongoing bullying, by the way. It simply means having enough emotional control to consider your best choice of action before carrying it out with dignity.
Walk away
Walking away from a bully shows that you won’t put up with the things they are doing/saying.
Important to realize is that walking away can only be effective when you look unintimidated and uninterested. When the bully perceives you as being scared, which is possible because you “are running away”, chances are large that the bullying will increase in intensity and frequency in that case.
That’s why it’s best to tell them firmly that you don’t appreciate what they are doing, and that you want them to stop before walking away. This way, the message that you won’t put up with their bullying gets across more clearly and is almost impossible to misinterpret.
Act like you’re bored
Acting like you’re bored and uninterested might make them lose interest in you as a target.
If they aim to hurt you mentally through a verbal assault, or if they want to be looked at as tough guys to impress their friends, this strategy will probably work well.
Acting like you’re bored when the bullying takes physical or sexual forms is not advised. In these cases, other strategies will work much more effectively. Never let people harm you physically or sexually.
Ignore it
Ignoring it can potentially stop bullying because oftentimes, the bully is looking to get a response out of you. When you ignore it, you may become uninteresting as a target.
However, ignoring it might make it so they perceive you as scared. And bullies love helpless targets. It is kind of a double-edged sword. That’s why ignoring it might be a dangerous strategy to go for.
Stand up tall and look unintimidated
One of the most effective ways to stop bullying is to stand up tall and look unintimidated.
Always a good strategy to go for, no matter what you’re doing in life. And especially so for defending yourself against bullies and potential bullies.
As already briefly mentioned, bullies always target people they deem weak, inferior, and generally unable to defend themselves. Nothing says you’re not an easy target like being confident, standing up tall while looking straight forward instead of turning your gaze towards the ground.
When doing this in general, it is unlikely that bullies will target you, as there are a lot of easier targets available to them.
Increase your confidence
If you’re not confident yet, then it is time to do something about it and work towards raising your self-esteem in the future.
How can we accomplish this sometimes seemingly impossible task? Well, there are multiple possibilities here. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Start working out, lift weights, learn martial arts, learn to talk and socialize with other people, learn to value yourself as a person, and work on your weaknesses in general.
Keep in mind that a combination of all those things is advised, as they will all work together in coherence and compound to increase your confidence.
Tell the bully to stop
Perhaps the best way to stop bullying.
Telling the bully to stop is a powerful way to tell them that you don’t appreciate what they’re doing, that you want them to stop, and that you won’t put up with their behavior.
When the bully tries to hassle you because of low self-esteem, this strategy will most likely work great. When the bully hassles you because of overly high self-esteem, it might be possible that he/she sees it as a challenge and won’t back down since they deem you inferior to them.
However, telling the bully to stop is in most cases still a good thing. No matter what you do in life, there are going to be times when you will need to be assertive and defend yourself. You might not like doing so, and you might not like confrontation, but it’s better to learn this early on in life rather than later. You won’t regret having this important life skill in your command.
Defend yourself verbally
You will need to defend yourself verbally multiple times in your life. Be it from bullies, companies attempting to scam you or your boss being inconsiderate of your feelings or over-asking you.
It is a skill that can be learned. Assertiveness training is becoming ever more popular these days. And even people who avoid conflict, because they don’t like disharmony, can learn to become assertive and define clear boundaries if necessary.
Tell a person in authority so the bully stops
A person in authority, like let’s say a teacher when the bullying happens at school, the coach when it happens at the gym, or the police, can help to get the bully to stop.
However, sometimes the teacher and school will not go to the lengths necessary to get the bully to stop. This might make it so the bullying behavior increases in frequency and intensity.
In general, I would always advise people to learn to defend themselves, both physically and verbally. Informing the police is a good thing since you can take legal action against the bully(s). Be it immediate action, or maybe somewhere down the future if necessary.
Defend yourself physically
I’m not promoting violence. But, there are people out there that won’t stop until you show that you can and will defend yourself physically if the situation calls for it.
There are people out there that don’t care about morality like most people do, they don’t care about equality, fairness, or empathy. The only thing they care about is themselves, and they will obtain what they want through any means.
Those are the kind of people who won’t respond to reason or authority figures. Thus, those are the kind of people who we need to be able to defend ourselves from physically.
Only resort to defending yourself physically as a last resort. Because getting into a physical altercation is not only dangerous, but it might also get you into trouble with the police as well. But in some cases, you’ve got no choice or better option.
How to stop cyberbullying?
Think about what you post
Probably the best tip to prevent cyberbullying, or at least to protect yourself from it as well as you can.
Think about the things you post, because once you post something on social media, it’s there to stay. People can take a screenshot, save an image, a text, and they possess it forever.
Be especially careful with what pictures you post, since erotic pictures are an easy way to blackmail or cyberbully you.
Keep your password secret and change it often
Keep your password secret from everyone, even your best friends. You never truly know what someone is thinking or might be hiding. Not to mention that some of your friends can turn on you in the future. That’s just the sad reality of the world.
Even better, change your password frequently. This way, hackers have a harder time getting into your computer and, thus, your possessions. Try creating a stronger password with a capital letter, number, and other characters in it.
Report cyberbullying to authority figures and the service providers in question
Reporting cyberbullying to an authority figure and the service provider can help them track down the offender and thus, hold them accountable for legal consequences.
It is best to inform both the authority figures and the service provider where the cyberbullying is happening, as they can work together on the case if necessary.
Block the bully, don’t respond
Another good tip for how to stop cyberbullying is simply blocking the bully and not responding.
Don’t give them the pleasure and satisfaction of showing your distress to them.
When you respond, they know you are triggered. Thus, the cyberbullying will probably become worse instead of better.
If you do respond, don’t become upset or angry. Just calmly tell them to stop or that you will inform the police of their actions. This shows the cyberbullies that you’re serious about the matter, but also that they aren’t harming you as much as they were hoping for, as you remain calm.
Confront the person, tell them you will take legal actions
In those rare cases where you know who the cyberbully is, you can confront them and threaten them to take legal action.
This can work, but it is less likely to work than is the case with bullying in real life since cyberbullying is often done in anonymity. Thus, they might deem themselves safe from any repercussions.
Ask for help from authority figures and friends/family
We all need a little help every once in a while. Sometimes a person who’s not as closely emotionally evolved with the problem might be able to analyze the problem and possible solution more objectively.
It is always good to have different kinds of insights and different points of view, even when you don’t necessarily agree with them.
Call/tell the police
When the cyberbullying continues, call the police and tell them what is happening. Try to gather solid evidence for them that can be used in a legal case like recording what the person is saying, what they are mailing, what they are screenshotting, or what they are blackmailing you with.
When the cyberbully knows what they’re doing, it is possible that the police can’t catch them. But, it is always worth a try and in most cases, they can.
Keep in mind that learning how to prevent cyberbullying is still no guarantee that no one is going to attempt to do so. In the end, nobody is exempt from being a potential victim.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is bullying?
The difference between teasing and bullying is that teasing is carried out in good spirits and that it even has an important function because it builds up character. Teasing happens when we like people.
Bullying on the other hand happens when we dislike someone. Bullying is aimed at a single person or group to harm that person either physically, mentally, or sexually. Through the eyes of a bully, the victim(s) is not allowed to resist, whereas a teased person is allowed and even expected to resist.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying means bullying a person or group through the usage of digital technologies such as a computer, tablets, and cell phones.
It is typically done by sending messages in a threatening, intimidating, or denigrating manner. Cyberbullying is often repeated behavior.
Why do people bully?
Bullying is a learned, albeit toxic, and vicious behavior. This is essential because it means that the behavior can potentially be unlearned.
People often bully others because of two main reasons.
Because of low self-esteem
Reason one is that the bully has low self-esteem.
Thus, he/she feels the need to bully others to feel better, to raise their confidence, to make them feel superior, or at the very least not inferior to others.
Because of overly high self-esteem
Reason two is because the bully has an overly high self-esteem.
This means that the bully feels superior to others and deems others to be below them. They do so because they can get away with it, and because they enjoy the sense of power and being in control that bullying others gives them.
Why is cyberbullying popular?
Cyberbullying can happen at any time and anywhere. Whereas bullying happens in real life. Be it at home, work, or any other physical place.
Furthermore, it’s popular because people hide behind their so-called anonymity. This is one of the critical downsides of using too much social media.
However, each computer has an IP address that more or less functions as the address where you live in real life. In recent years, cyberbullying has been getting a lot more attention, and more actions, including legal measures, have been taken to punish cyberbullying.
So cyberbullying is popular because:
- Perceived anonymity
- It can happen anytime
- It can happen from basically everywhere
How to help someone who is being bullied
Take immediate action and stand up for that person
Both concern and hope are required to take action. And this is no different concerning bullying.
Bullying is never okay. And we need to be the change that we want to see in the world. To do that, we require ourselves to set a good example.
When we see people that are being bullied, stand up for them. Especially when you see that they can’t properly defend themselves verbally or physically.
Of course, it is even better if the victims can stand up for themselves, as this will last them a lifetime. That’s why, if possible, you should teach them that they should learn to stand up for themselves, both physically and verbally.
Separate the bully and the bullied individual
Defuse the situation and put the bullied person out of harm’s way by separating them.
This will help the bullied individual to relax and will show the bully that his behavior is not okay and that there are people out there who will stand up to their negative behavior. That’s not to say that the bully will stop this behavior in the future. But at least you saved the victim at this time.
Listen and support the person who’s being bullied
Everyone needs someone to vent to once in a while, no matter how tough you might be.
Support the victim by listening to them, by giving them advice, and by comforting them when necessary.
Be friends with the bullied person
You can help someone who is being bullied by being friends with them.
Support them, listen to them, defend them, and help them where necessary.
Everyone requires friends. It is friends that make this life worth living. Friends also help to increase one’s self-esteem and confidence. You might even be the only friend that the victim in question has. You might be the difference between someone contemplating suicide, or having someone and something to live for.
Tell other people that bullying is not ok and should not be tolerated
It is good practice to show other people the devastating effects that bullying can have.
Tell them, and show them, that bullying is not ok. That it is not beneficial for society nor the victims, and that this kind of toxic learned behavior should not be acceptable and should stop.
Set a good example
All previous points come back to setting a good example for other people and society as a whole.
You can’t force other people to change. But you can at least practice what you preach and try to be the change that you would like to see in the world.
You will be a beacon of light for victims and others alike which shows that you will not stand for bullying.
Conclusion
Bullying can have devastating results for the victim and the people around that person.
Again, it is important to consider that bullying is learned behavior, and thus, can potentially be unlearned. We know this is possible because there are multiple ways to stop bullying.
Since it is learned behavior, this means we should try to aim to improve people’s upbringing. Raising our kids with decency and respect can go a long way to solving bullying, cyberbullying, and a whole variety of other problems.
Make sure to not allow yourself or others to be bullied. If you are being victimized, make sure you’re not allowing it to go on for longer than it has to. Take steps to solve the issue. Be it due to legal actions, or by solving the concern yourself.
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