If I'm being bullied is it better to pretend I am not affected by it or show to the bully that it's upsetting me?
31 Answers
Moderated by Sarah Robb, LISW-S (Licensed Independent Social Worker, Supervisor Designation) and LICDC (Licenced Chemical Dependency Counselor)
Updated: Oct 20, 2020
leahmoon
on
Oct 17, 2016
...read more
You should not show the bully that they are able to get a reaction from you. Seeing you hurt or upset is what fuels them and encourages them to continue, and I can say this from experience. Try your best to make it clear to them that what they are doing will not hurt you or make you weaker. You are strong and amazing, so don't let them make you feel like you're not.
Chloelikesgrapes99
on
May 22, 2015
...read more
Dont show the bully that it is hurting you, because that is what they want. You should tell someone you can trust about the bully.
Anonymous
on
Mar 22, 2016
...read more
I was bullied as a child and I learned that acting like I was unaffected made the bully more aggressive with what they were doing.
Engineeringhappiness
on
Mar 6, 2018
...read more
ignore it. pretend like you dont care. bullies bully only because they take pleasure in it. when you start ignoring them they will get bored and move on.
Anonymous
on
Jan 14, 2015
...read more
This is one of those "it depends" type questions. There's no one size fits all answer.
Part of it has to do with the type of bullying we're discussing. If physical violence is involved there's no point pretending not to mind. Priority one is escaping with minimal injury and taking steps to avoid additional such encounters either by engaging law enforcement (which could be parents or school authorities, etc), by relocation, learning not to invite attack (yes, sometimes the victim does share in some of the blame) or by learning self-defense.
Verbal abuse is much more commonly related to our reaction. We don't have to react to every perceived insult or provocation. That's not to say we must be doormats, either. Keeping things in perspective helps a lot.
For example, if an adult is walking by a schoolyard and a toddler trying to impress his classmates yells something inappropriate, the taunt should be ignored. There's also not much point of a woman responding to cat-calls from strangers she passes in the street.
Bullying is about power, sometimes real and sometimes perceived. Workplace bullying may be about job security, office politics or mental health issues. It must be reported to management above the level of the abuser. Bullying in family relationships is about control. Therapists can be helpful.
Of course, not every unpleasant remark we hear constitutes bullying. We have to maintain a sense of humor about ourselves and the ability to tolerate the petty indignities we all experience at times.
The old saying "Know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em" doesn't only apply to card games.
GhostGhost
on
Jan 16, 2015
...read more
I always found that a balance between ghetto work best. Show that they are being rude and it won't affect you as well as confront them about how it hurts. Most bullies I have seen will back down or get flustered once confronted.
Maxwallride
on
Jul 24, 2017
...read more
In my personal opinion, showing the bully that it affects you is probably the worst option you've got because a lot of people don't learn from that and continue to prey on your weaknesses once they know what will get to you. Even better than pretending you're not affected by it is probably pretending like you're not affected by it while also standing up for yourself at the same time.
strugglingone
on
Sep 8, 2015
...read more
I don't think bullies ever care about how you feel. So I'd say be confident about yourself and ignore them. Ignoring is the best way of insulting.
NanaAthene
on
Oct 27, 2015
...read more
I mean to be honest, either way isn't going to work. At least, neither hasn't worked in my experience. I used to show everyone that it would affect me and I would pretend that it didn't affect me and either way I still got bullied. I got bullied from kindergarten to 7th grade and it wasn't until 8th grade that I learned to love myself and just not even bother putting even a little energy into their negativity. It takes time to learn what I've learned but I promise it's not impossible. I went from being depressed all the time because of bullying to learning how to deal with the bullying and learning that as long as I'm happy with myself, and I'm not harming myself or anyone else, and I at least have 1 or 2 good close friends and an amazing support system then why care about what everyone else thinks? It's hard and takes time but I can promise you can get there :)
MsWhite
on
Jul 19, 2016
...read more
Don't show people your weakness. Just don't. It's better to pretend that you're unaffected; it'll stop being fun for them in some time. Your reaction is the fun part. If it isn't there, then the fun isn't there.
Anonymous
on
Aug 8, 2016
...read more
You should show you are being affected by it. If it helps-cry. Don't pretend it doesn't as the bully can see you are hurt.
YuukiKuran1996
on
Aug 16, 2016
...read more
I guess bullies bully other people in order to make them upset ... So its probably better to not give them what they want (see you upset) :)
Anonymous
on
Sep 20, 2016
...read more
This could be tricky (in my opinion at least) because depending on the bully, either of these could be bad. Sometimes if a bully sees that you aren't responding the way they want then they'll become more aggressive. On the other hand, showing that it hurts you could be what they want to see, which could result in them continuing. Either way, the best would be to alert someone as soon as you can. Preferably when it starts.
Dontletyourselfdown
on
Nov 13, 2017
...read more
Don't pretend & don't be upset! show them who they are running into and don't need to be afraid they are nothing but the piece of shit don't let them get into your skin!
Anonymous
on
Jan 8, 2018
...read more
It is better to pretend that you are not affected by it because this will make your bullies get bored of bullying to you and eventually they might decide to stop bullying you. But it is always important for you to talk to someone that you can trust and express your feelings about the bullying. You can talk to a listener if you want to. But if you can't handle the bullying don't pretend that you are not getting affected by it.
MortalWings
on
Mar 13, 2015
...read more
Bullies bully others because they're bored. The more you react, the more they are inclined to bully you. By not being fazed, they think of you as a boring target and leave you alone.
Anonymous
on
Mar 21, 2016
...read more
When I was bullied, I didn't show how it effected me. Sooner of later, the bullies got bored and they grew up and stopped picking on me.
sunshineBreeze69
on
Apr 17, 2018
...read more
Bullies typically feed off of your reaction. They do it to deflect their personal problems onto you. I think it's better to show them that you aren't affected by it.
justafreesoul
on
Apr 15, 2019
...read more
Well, ever situation is different, but speaking from my own experience, what helped me best was pretending that what she said and did had no effect on me at all. Bullies are ususally insecure people who are just trying to get some attention; while doing so, they tend to bring others down in hopes to make themselves feel better. I noticed that if I kept showing that I cared, it meant that I was giving this bully just the attention she was craving, and other people were paying attention to the matter. as well. On the other hand, if you show yourself unaffected, bullies stop getting the attention after a while and become "bored" of you not giving it any fut¿rther thought. I hope this helps!
Noelle0867
on
Oct 20, 2020
...read more
First you should just straight up tell the bully to stop. It doesn't always work but you might be surprised! then if that doest help you should tell and adult of higher-up about whats going on. If THAT doesn't work you could try ignoring them. And always remember that they're the problem NOT YOU. It's not your fault that they're bullying you! I hope this helps and that whoever is bullying you learns to be a better person! Oh and never forget that theres lots of people out in the world dedicated to stoping bully like whoever is bullying you!
Why do people hate me for no reason?
330 Answers
What's the best way to get over someone calling you nasty names?
314 Answers
My friend is always negative towards me. What do I do?
275 Answers
What's the difference between bullying and teasing?
272 Answers
How do you get over the feeling that people are laughing at you?
240 Answers
How to deal with people that are bad mouthing me?
230 Answers