Top tips for young people on bullying, peer pressure and self-care

What is bullying? By definition:

“Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting, of one group or person, by another group or person, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can be face to face or online.”

Over the course of my eNurture Instagram takeover for the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s Anti-Bullying Week (15-19 November), I carried out some research on statistics, resources and tips surrounding bullying. I found that 1 in every 4 young people have been victims of bullying in the last 12 months, whereby 77% of those being bullied said that it had negatively impacted their mental health. From these worrying statistics, it was clear that the aim of my takeover was to inform young people of the significance of bullying and identify some key points which are usually overlooked. For example, the impact of peer pressure was one of the topics I discussed.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is a recognised form of bullying and is sometimes overlooked as it usually comes from an established relationship of trust. Bullying can happen in friendships too, so you should never give in to something you do not want to do or feel comfortable with doing. If someone is pressuring you to do it then recognise this as bullying. You are your own person, and you have every right to choose what you do without the pressure from other people influencing your decisions.

Peer pressure and sex

I believed this to be a crucial topic which is not openly discussed enough, and therefore needed to be addressed in light of the week's theme of anti-bullying. I had outlined how Peer pressure when related to sex is not ok and you should never do anything you do not feel comfortable doing. I went on to discuss:

It is ok if you do not want to have sex.
It is ok if you are not ready for sex.
It is ok to say no.
You do not have to do anything you are not comfortable with even if it is with a partner.
Your obligations are to yourself, always.

I went on to identify the emotional and behavioural signs of bullying, which include:

Changes in sleep patterns.
Changes in eating patterns.
Frequent tears or anger.
Mood swings.
Feeling ill in the morning.
·Becoming withdrawn or starts stammering.
Becoming aggressive and/or unreasonable.
Refusing to talk about what is wrong. Begins to target siblings.
Continually ‘loses’ money or starts stealing.

I felt that identifying these signs would be helpful to friends and family members to help recognise the changes in someone they care about to raise the question of whether they are experiencing bullying.

Furthermore, during my takeover I highlighted the short-term and long-term effects of bullying to demonstrate the significance of bullying and how it should not be taken lightly. Bullying has a tremendous effect on individuals, especially on their mental wellbeing.

Short term effects of bullying

Social isolation.
Feelings of shame.
Sleep disturbance.
Changes in eating habits.
Low self-esteem.
School avoidance.
Symptoms of anxiety.
Bedwetting.
Higher risk of illness.
Psychosomatic symptoms (stomach aches, headaches, other physical complaints with no known medical cause.)
Poor school performance.
Symptoms of depression.

Long term effects of bullying

Chronic depression.
Increased risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide plans and suicide attempts.
Anxiety disorders.
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
Poor general health.
Self-destructive behaviour (Including self-harm).
Substance abuse.
Difficulty establishing trusting reciprocal friendships and relationships.

Lastly, I want to discuss in this blog some tips for self-love and self-care as well as helplines. After discussing the impact of bullying, it is important to highlight ways to improve your mental-wellbeing to improve issues with self-esteem, anxiety, insecurities, sleep, feeling isolated/ isolating yourself and low moods.

Self-Love