Bullying is an activity which most people associate with their schooldays. The playground bully is a well-established stereotype. But sadly, bullying does not disappear when you walk out the school gates for the last time. It can be a real shock to people when they find themselves, as an adult, being bullied by another adult. You know some people never grow out of being stupid. You will find them in your relationships, church, work place and so on.
I have had encounters with these kind of people and I have come to the conclusion that they are sad people that are really angry with their lives hence the rage they release.
Do not mistake bullying as something that only has to do with physical abuse, it is very psychological and emotional as well. These bullies because of how much spite they are full with, get to release a lot of hateful words from within them.
Of course violence is never the way in any situation dialogue is preferable, so I will share a few tips that will help you deal with these kind of people.
Be the mature one, try to understand why they do it
It’s very important that you understand this before you do anything else—both for your own personal well-being, and so you can start looking for the right way to approach the issue. Bullying might be targeted at you, but the first step to handling them is realizing that you are not doing anything wrong. If anything, it means you are doing something right! Bullies want power and control over you because they lack it in some aspect of their own lives.
Avoid this person as much as you can
I am not saying you should be sheepish or run away for fear. Avoidance strategies can be as simple as upping the privacy on your social media, ensuring you are not alone around the bully, or devising an escape plan should the bully try to corner you. While the passive approach may not be the most popular one, it may be the only course of action for some people who feel that they cannot address the bullying directly. And also try not to exchange words with them, remember they are full of rage.
Quit playing victim
When you stop being a victim, each of the bully’s attempts becomes embarrassing for them, not you. Remember, most bullies just want to get a rise out of you so they feel like they have control. The less subtle and more aggressive they are, the easier they are to deal with. Label them as a bully in your mind and consciously avoid their bait. They might be aggressive, but they’re probably lazy as well, so they’ll eventually lose interest and look for a “weaker” target.
Confront the bully
You can also do this, not in a violent way oh but you can stand up to them especially the verbal ones. Point it out to them that they should work on their attitudes, tell them what they doing wrong. Also, make sure you decide if you want to handle this privately or with others around. This usually depends on the severity of the bullying, so you have to feel things out for yourself. A bully that’s just looking to get some laughs, or someone that doesn’t realize they’re being a bully, is probably best handled privately so neither of you have to feel embarrassed. A more serious bully though might be best handled with some help from friends or coworkers. You don’t want to gang up them, but having others around can help make sure things don’t escalate.
I hope these tips work for you as I will also use them to fight against the bullies of life. And I recommend Yoga as a way to help them ease off their anger, let them meditate and get a real life.