The Long-term Effects of Bullying

A Note From The Author

As someone who was frequently bullied in school, I feel that it's extremely important for the effects of bullying to be shared and outed. This is a crucial topic that I feel individuals of all ages should be knowledgeable of so, I have taken the time to write this essay. I hope that you'll share it with everyone you know and I urge you to at least pass the knowledge on to your children if you haven't already done so. Maybe together we might be able to finally help put a stop to bullying.

The Essay

When you think of a bully, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it your childhood? Or maybe your children? What some people may not realize is that bullying, just like people, comes in all shapes, sizes, ages, and colours. Another thing that people may seize to understand is that bullying has many physical, psychological, and emotional long-term effects on people of all ages.

Though I have chosen to address the physical long-term effects of bullying first, this does not make them more or less important than any of the other effects. Physical effects of bullying are generally the most obvious, and often the telltale sign that someone is being bullied or abused. You may notice that a friend frequently has unexplained bruises, cuts, or scrapes. Or perhaps another friend, who seems to obtain more serious injuries such as broken or sprained body parts, though they are generally a fairly careful person. Maybe they have lost a seriously unhealthy amount of weight, due to malnutrition. These may all seem like assumptions when you read them here, or maybe even signs of child abuse, which they could be, but you may also notice I have not mentioned the age of this friend. This is because, though children and teens are frequently the targets of bullying, it can occur to individuals of all ages. The more serious "short-term" effects are very rarely short-term. That friend that broke her arm 4 years ago, it is possible that it may never heal properly and she will most certainly never be the same again. As it would be with any other serious injury that could be obtained through bullying. The physical effects of bullying almost always lead to emotional and psychological effects on the individual.

The psychological effects of bullying are one of the most difficult to identify unless you are the individual being bullied. For those who don't know, "psychological" means "of the mind" which makes it impossible to actually see these effects from an outside point of view. Bullying causes people to think that they are not good enough, even when they are the most wonderful person in the world. Your best friend who always helped you with your math when you were struggling, if they were ever bullied in their life, may not even realize that the help they are able to give you is truly an amazing gift. Victims of bullying often have a voice in the back of their minds that nags them constantly with negative feedback, such as, "You will never be good enough." "How stupid can you truly be? Nobody will ever love you." "How could you possibly think that anybody would ever want to be your friend?". This is very detrimental to an individual's success in life because no matter how hard they try to fight it, or how happy they may seem, those voices are always there questioning every move they make. These psychological effects are generally caused by the verbal abuse they have received, because eventually, no matter how hard they try, they start to believe the words of a bully. Once you believe the negative tongue lashings of a bully, it will likely lead to emotional effects that will feel impossible to overcome.

Though the emotional effects of bullying are a little easier to identify, they are next to impossible to address or mend. When an individual who has been bullied starts to suffer from emotional effects they generally start to exclude themselves from society. You may think to yourself, "That makes no sense, if they are in trouble then they should ask for help!". Unfortunately, I can tell you from experience, this is easier said than done. When there is a situation of bullying, the victim often excludes themselves in order to prevent the situation from getting worse. Generally, the victim hopes that someone will notice the change in behaviour, but will often reject the assistance when offered. This is because bullies ALWAYS target individuals who seem weak, and accepting a helping hand from others in a time of desperation is a sign of weakness to a bully. This seclusion often leads to mental health challenges, like depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The individual believes the things that have been said to and/or about them and it causes them to lack self-worth and self-esteem. They may even be paranoid, not knowing when they will be targeted again. Unwilling to sleep because their dreams are haunted by memories of the past when a bully abused them. These are not things that just go away overnight, and even with adequate counselling and support the effects may linger.

In retrospect, bullying has many physical, psychological, and emotional effects that are not only short-term but frequently long-term as well. A victim's physical health and mobility become hindered by the abuse they endured. Psychological alterations cause a victim to struggle with what they should honestly think about themselves. Victims struggle with newfound mental health challenges that they may have never encountered if they had not been bullied. And yet, we hear so many heartbreaking stories of bullying all over the world. I see something wrong with this picture, don't you? I think that together we can help put an end to bullying by sharing this information with those we know, love, and care about. And help to spread the knowledge of the long-term effects of bullying. Maybe, just maybe, we can help to make the world a much better place for the generations of the future.

Final Words From The Author

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this piece of writing. I would appreciate it if you could please take the time to comment, as this is the first essay that I have decided to publicly share with the world. I apologize if any of the content seemed opinionated, however, I have personally been suffering from the psychological and emotional long-term effects of bullying for around 24 years now. I was one of those victims who brushed it off and figured I'd get over it once I got older. I got something alright, but it most certainly wasn't over it. I have been struggling with the challenges of depression on a daily basis, and to this day it's still extremely difficult for me to have a proper sense of self-worth and strong self-esteem. I seriously hope that this piece of writing can at least give those victims, that feel like they are better off alone, the helping hand and voice that I believe they need.

"You are never alone, as long as you have somebody. It doesn't matter how near or far they are. Family, friend, counsellor, or a stranger; is still somebody. And as long as you have somebody, you have the strength you need to carry on and fight for the respect and dignity that you deserve, and for the right to be the authentic individual you were born to be." -Unknown

I would like you to keep those words in mind, and pass them on to anybody you may know who seems like they could use a bit of a lift. I can guarantee you that even the slightest amount of kindness, to even just one person, can seriously go a long way.

Here are some inspirational quotes for those of you who are reading this and are victims of bullying. There is ALWAYS hope.

Hold

On

Pain

Ends

"People who love themselves, don't hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want others to suffer." - Dan Pearce

"One's dignity can be assaulted, vandalized, and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered." - Michael J. Fox