I’ve watched over half of these – beautiful, meaningful, and true speeches about how you’re not alone and you need to keep going. Good times will return. It just takes time… and some motivation can help speed the process 🙂
Talks to watch when every conceivable bad thing has just happened to you
-Beliving that none of your friends actually want to be your friend and they hate being near you
-Hating normal things because they were used to mock you
-Having to seek constant validation for your existance
-Remembering particular insults you’ve been called for years and will probably never forget them
-Beliving you’re too ugly for anyone to ever love
-Not wanting to go to a new school/further education because you know the same thing will happen there
-Having your parents tell you that you’re only being ‘teased’
-Having people wash their hands in disgust if they accidentally touch you.Remember, you don’t have to feel all of these to understand
-Having people say you like someone as a way to gross that someone out
-Never quite trusting anyone.
-Having people ask you out as a dare
-”They’re only making fun of you ‘cause they’re jealous!”
-”He’s only mean to you ‘cause he’s got a crush on you!”
-Having to deal with bullshit ‘zero tolerance’ policies-”hey, my friend thinks you’re cute!”
This. I dealt with almost all of this bullshit all my life and it still haunts me today…
-being unable to process genuine acceptance and compliments when you finally get them
-fear emotional intimacy will result in betrayal– being hyper aware of specific body parts you got bullied for & intensively hating them even when its been like 10 years
– never really missing your childhood or wanting to go back
– just straight up thinking youre below everyone and have less worth and having that issue so ingrained to your very being that you never even realise how big of an issue it is
– never ever feeling like you belong anywhere
– The bitter laugh you have when people tell you “School isn’t only for learning, it’s also for socialization”
– When someone tells you “Maybe you were asking for it” (”You were arrogant”, “you were passive”)
Being afraid to talk to anyone because when you were a kid your speech impediment was pointed out and insulted by everyone.
Learning to stand still and be as emotionless as possible when people approach you so you don’t give any sign of encouragement.
Hearing people tell you over and over that “these are the best years of your life” or “It’s all down hill from here” and trying not to cry.
Having to unlearn certain biases because you associated them with the people who bullied you, that you’ve used them as early warnings for the people you need to avoid.
Having teachers telling you to change your behaviour to stop the bullies, rather than telling the bullies to stop their behaviour.
Still having nightmares over 10 years later.
Still avoiding certain area’s because bullies lived there, and they might still live there, and you don’t want to risk seeing them.
Having two settings when it comes to arguments: “Ready for full scale combat,” or “Shutting down completely.”
“Don’t give them any ammunition! You wouldn’t hand a box of bullets to someone chasing and shooting you, would you?”
“Just ignore them, they’re just trying tying to get a rise out of you.”
Having to resort to recording devices and writing down everything that ever happened in order for teachers to do absolutely anything about it
Bully weeping when having Meeting to stop the bullying.
Bullies using zero tolerance policies to get you in trouble with them, or more than them
Rumors that don’t dissipate after 5+ years and moving schools
“Oh I was autistic the whole time no wonder they hated me”
Let’s not forget “parents/teachers punishing YOU for wasting their time if you found the courage to come forward about it.”
Or how about a childhood of being bullied setting you up for an adulthood of seeking out abusive relationships because it might not be comfortable but at least it’s familiar.
Finding your true friends and worrying you’ll lose them daily.
Finding the love of your life and panicking that your old bully will find them and turn them on you
getting beat up till you black out
trying desperately to hide from them
being in small school were they are everywhere
immediate fight or flight response when they are even ten feet away from you
people don’t believe you
“well, maybe something’s wrong with you.”
Still feeling uncomfortable stripping for doctors in your thirties because it reminds you of when kids would pull your panties down.
So willing to latch on to any relationship if they’re interested in you. It’s so hard to believe that anyone could love you that you’ll take anyone that doesn’t instantly hate you.
It makes it even worse cause if the relationship goes bad, you make up any excuse to stay because if you let them go, no one else will want you.
Your sense of self worth is non-existent so even you’ll believe it’s normal to be treated horribly.
And no one will say a thing about it until it’s over.Please stop bullying. Cause after you’re done, someone else will take over. And they’ll do even worse damage.
Stereotyping people belonging to the specific group that bullied you and deeming them guilty by association even though you know it’s wrong (ie. believing every athlete or popular girl just automatically hates you/wants to harm you even if they’ve never interacted with you, or have even shown signs of having a genuine interest in you)
Becoming comfortable with a physical condition later in life because it’s the opposite of one you were bullied for in your youth (ie. I used to be very thin growing up, and used to be picked on a lot for it. Now I’m slightly overweight and I get frustrated with my Grandma when she suggests that I lose some because I don’t think she gets that, even though I don’t want to get too much larger, I’m much happier now than I ever was when I was thin)
… yeah. Ouch. It still carries on into adulthood.
Note Worthy's Notes 