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#1
ust joined today. Glad to be among like minded people.
What brought me here today is I have been having issues dealing with bullying when I was in school and for a little bit after into my early 20's. 40 years old now so I don't feel this should be bothering me anymore. Not currently being abused or bullied in any way. Anyway I was bullied like I said and I feel very guilty and ashamed of myself for not standing up for myself and preventing it from happening. My father and others told me to just fight back but I could not bring myself to do it. I feel like a complete coward. I was diagnosed with Social Anxiety disorder in my mid 20's. So I know that was a big reason I was not able to stand up for myself. I was very anxious socially before the bullying started so it didn't cause the anxiety but im sure made it worse. Im having intrusive thoughts about this and like I said Im 40 not and this has been over for almost 20 years. Cant anyone relate? I guess what makes me feel guilty is I could have stopped it. Im a healthy male physically so I should have done something. Not a child who is beaten or a wife who is being abused. Anyway don't feel like much of a man. Anyway any thought that can help or anyone that can relate? Thanks for listening |
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Buffy01
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#2
I recall replying to your introductory post. I was bullied both verbally & physically throughout high school by a gang of older boys. Everyone knew what was going on, including my parents. But nobody cared. At one point one of them beat me up breaking my nose. When he was questioned about it, he said I called him a name. So I got blamed for it. My father told me about how, when he was a kid, another kid tried to bully him & he punched him in the nose & that was all there was to that.
I don't know if this experience destroyed my life. Perhaps I'd have destroyed it myself anyway. I certainly had my problems long before this sad experience. I sometimes feel like I should have stood up to my bullies too. But I also believe if they had ever gotten me alone, they'd have likely killed me. They might not have intended to. But they would have. I have intrusive thoughts with regard to this. But, then, I have intrusive thoughts about all sorts of things. So they're just one bunch of bitter grapes on a very l-o-n-g vine, so to speak. What I know is there is no way to stop these thoughts, stuff them back down, or banish them from my mind. They just keep coming back stronger & more frequently. So what I do, when they come up, is to move closer to them, breathe into them, & perhaps even smile to them. I may even place a hand over my heart as a sign of lovingkindness & compassion for them. Then, after a few moments, I'll allow the particular thought that came up to drift away & I'll simply continue to breathe into the underlying emotions... the anxiety, fear, sadness, humiliation & other emotions that go along with it until they fade. This is a Buddhist practice that is referred to as "compassionate abiding." However, here's a link to a mental-health-oriented description of the practice: Relieve Distress By Allowing It: Compassionate Abiding 101 | Mindset: Perspective Is Everything As the 11th centrury Tibetan yogini, Machig Labdrön said: "In other traditions demons are expelled externally. But in my tradition demons are accepted with compassion." |
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#3
I was also bullied. The bullies want us to feel “less of a person” ... Bullies are “excruciatingly insecure” . I’m sorry you’ve been through this I hope you’ll stick around here on pc, there are many kind people here. And many can relate to having been bullied. There isn’t a time limit to “getting over” bullying or any other form of abuse. It can stay with us but it doesn’t make us “less of a person” ..
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#4
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#5
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#6
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#7
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I guess i have this thinking that if I would have simply stood up for myself it would have all stopped. Not the case i guess as you said |
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Buffy01
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Buffy01
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#8
I report two classmates who had pulled a knife on me on the third day of sixth grade. I begin to.be bullied by several classmates that had followed me into high school. In the sixth grade I was about to be expelled because I had report the bullying the bullying. I became suicidal and very depressed. I developed serious anxiety attack.
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Legendary
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#10
It's hard to stand up for yourself when people are ganging up on you. And I think it might be harder for boys when their fathers tell them they're supposed to fight back. If you do fight back, you might get in trouble too. I think childhood bullying can affect people for the rest of their lives. Have you tried talking to a therapist about it?
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Buffy01
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Buffy01
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#11
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I have mentioned the bulling to a therapist in the past. Told me kids can be cruel and that it wasant my fault. Also tried to make the point I did the best I could at the time with what I knew at the time. |
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Buffy01
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#12
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I can totally relate to this! I was abused physically by my younger sister and I had a hard time standing up to her. She beat me up regularly and bullied me daily. I felt very inadequate growing up as a boy and ended up having such a low confidence as the result of her abuse. I was bullied all the time at school, including by younger kids as I was an easy target. I still think about it and feel very ashamed about it. People’s reaction was that I should stand up and shouldn’t be such a sissy, which made it worse for me. |
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Buffy01
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#13
The shame and blame belong (not to you) but the bullies. Try to put that where it belongs (I know it is difficult). Bullies are insecure and need to put others down in order to feel more important; they never feel good about themselves. My mother was verbally and physically abusive, and then my (ex) husband of 31 years, Except for 3 years in the army I lived with abuse. I did a lot of research and figured out what happened. The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans saved my life, and I think it is a bookwhich everyone should read. Verbal abuse is rampant on our planet.
Unfortunately, we cannot stop someone from bullying us; all we can do is walk away.It is like someone is throwing stones at you, and we wouldn't allow anyone to do that. |
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#14
I think you have to stand up to a bully. There are ways to do it that are not violent. The trick is to find the way. All bullies are really weak. That is why they have to make themselves "appear" overpowering. The weakness is individual. Find it.
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Legendary
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#15
I was bullied as an elementary school kid, which effected my self esteem. I was thrilled to move afterward and was never bullied again. I hardly thought about it over the years.
But when I developed an intimacy issue in my marriage, an on going nightmare relationship, I took a look back and remembered it. I still felt angry about it. I felt like if I’d run in to any of the mean girls from then, I’d tell them off for how they treated me and how much it hurt me. But, I never searched them out. I didn’t really want to confront them. I’m not sure about the point I am making pertaining to you. Maybe you can glean something from my experience. __________________ "And don't say it hasn't been a little slice of heaven, 'cause it hasn't!" . About Me--T |
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Quanticia
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fallaximago
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#16
I was heavily bullied as well, both in elementary school and beyond. Even today there are a couple of people I run into occasionally who will give me a hard time. It makes me feel powerless, humiliated and frankly stupid. When I was 12 I took out all my anger on a disable kid (who was incredibly intelligent, by the way) and got caught and severely punished. I deserved it, but nobody ever stood up or helped me when I needed it. Nobody ever got punished. As a result, I'm still p----d. I even have revenge fantasies and I'm worried about my mental sanity. I just wanted to tell you that the others have given you some very sound advice, I could put it into practice myself. I really need to heal my injured sense of justice and I need to dispel the need to hurt those people back.
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#17
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#18
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#19
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Abusedbysister
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#20
I think some fathers can be too concerned with making their sons "real men" meaning they can't show emotions and should resort to violence when necessary. This hypermasculinity thing is ridiculous in my opinion. I think it's getting a bit better now, but I recently heard someone at my church saying that boys shouldn't play with dolls. Seriously? I'm a girl who never liked dolls, and my youngest brother liked them. He is not gay or trans. Liking dolls and not liking sports doesn't make someone less of a man.
I actually think it's a bit easier for girls, because we're allowed to wear pants and play sports and other traditional "boy" things without being made to feel bad about it. But boys who do not fit traditional gender roles are called "sissies". I do think my generation is getting better at it though. There are stay-at-home dads and single dads who are the primary caregivers for their children. And I heard they are starting to put diaper changing tables in men's bathrooms, which i think is a positive step. |
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