Childhood and adolescence are usually considered a time of happiness, undisturbed by the problems that adults could face. However, children often encounter matters that are special for that age, as well as for the social environment in the school. At the same time, young people are still vulnerable, having not yet developed the appropriate methods of overcoming the challenges. One such problem is bullying, which is widely spread in nearly all children’s groups and communities; I have experienced it since early childhood as well. In this essay, I will discuss that bullying has impacted me in a bad way throughout my whole life; however, when I started standing up for myself, I got stronger and better.
During my school years, I was a patient and quiet person, compared to most of my classmates. I preferred to stay alone instead of participating in social activities; I maintained the independence of thought and social position. These qualities were not admired by others, who often could not understand my behavior, considering it strange. Something that cannot be understood is usually perceived with hostility; this was why I became a victim of my classmates’ bullying.
For a long time, I was suffering without finding a way of coping with this problem. Bullying was the cause of my permanent depression, up to suicidal thoughts. Although I always liked to study, I eventually started to skip school being not able to face the challenges of aggression of my peers. It continued until I decided to work on myself, becoming stronger and learning to stand up for myself.
As I liked to read, I thought that there could be some sources, for example, in psychological literature, where I could find information related to my problem. I was not mistaken; in a short time, I found articles and books on psychology that were analyzing the problem of bullying and provided possible ways to deal with it. In them, the authors were discussing resilience, “an individual’s ability to overcome and thrive under adverse conditions” (Garner & Boulton 200). I was impressed knowing how common this problem is, and how many children and adolescents suffer from it; I realized I was not alone.
The books were arguing that it is insufficient knowledge of bullying that makes the victims develop maladaptive behavior patterns. Thus, I started to read about it and analyze the material, adapting it to my cases. For example, I learned about a variety of coping strategies such as “seeking social support, talking with the bully, bullying others with the bully, and taking no action” (Garner & Boulton 200). Some of them were more appropriate to use in my situation; one such method was seeking social support. Very often, I made new friends whom I considered supportive, and, with the help of them, I became more self-confident. It was a matter of self-value; very soon, I learned to stand up for myself and openly face the bullies I was previously avoiding. My new friends and my knowledge were the factors that helped me to encounter aggression, both direct and indirect.
Thus, I presented the factor that influenced me and the way I reacted to it. Bullying was a problem that affected the quality of my life, in its social and psychological aspects, since my childhood. For a long time, I was helpless in dealing with it; however, education became the factor that helped me to find proper methods to overcome the problem. The challenge that I faced became a driver for my progress and developing new qualities.
Garner, Ian W., & Michael J. Boulton. “Adolescent’s Unambiguous Knowledge of Overcoming Bullying and Developing Resilience.” Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, vol. 9, no. 2, 2016, pp. 199–207. doi:10.1080/19411243.2016.1162761.
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