I'm gonna do something a little different this week, guys. I'm gonna talk about bullying, and some of my friends who have blogs are, too. Here are the links to their blogs, check them out! http://teamfreewill1.blogspot.com/ , http://edwardsheeran.blogspot.com/ , http://jenanicholle.blogspot.com/ , http://meghanmcdonald15.blogspot.com/ , http://winsomewisdom.blogspot.com/ , http://neshia116.blogspot.com/ , and http://procrastinatorweekly.wordpress.com
Bullying has become a serious epidemic in schools all across the United States. Sadly, one of the most popular new fads is self harm, which is directly linked to bullying. Bullying doesn't happen at a specific age, to specific people or in a specific place in the world: it happens everywhere to everyone. It isn't just kids and teens, either: adults do it to each other, and even parents to their children, making those children future bullies. Bullying is a vicious, never-ending cycle, and will continue unless something is done.
SUICIDE HOTLINE - 1-800-273-8255
In October, 2011, a girl named Alex tried to take her life. This is her story, and her message to others suffering from the same abuse...
"On October 20th, 2011, no one was home after school so I tried to
hang myself in my basement. I know what your thinking, why would she do
such a selfish thing? Well I was going through so much I couldn’t even
handle anything anymore. I gave up at the time. I ended up getting off
the ground and going upstairs. I looked in the mirror and I saw the
brush marks all over my neck from the rope. I knew in school the next
day people were going to ask where was it from.
Then I started to cut myself. It was addicting, I did it a couple
times that night. In the morning at school I ended up telling 2 of my
best friends, someone told a guidance counselor about what I did last
night. When I got home after school, social workers came to my house
and I had no idea why they were at my house at first, but then they
asked me if I really tried to hang myself, and of course I told the
truth. So I got taken down to ECMC after school, I had to sit in the
emergency room for 6 hours, then I had to sit in CPEP for another 6
hours, the nurse finally took me up to my room. I ended up staying there
till November 4th. It helped a lot, and taught me a lesson. I’m glad
that whoever told, did tell the guidance counselor about how I
attempted suicide because I wouldn’t have gotten the help I needed.
When I tell what happened that night I attempted suicide, I actually
smile at the end now. My friends wonder why I smile.I smile because I’m happy it’s over and I got the help I needed. I’m
glad I don’t have to go through any of that pain anymore, because I try
my best to think positive everyday. Things do get better; you just
have to hang in there. I know this suicide attempt was recent and your
wondering how I could tell this so soon, but like I said I’m happy that
I got the help I needed, and I’m happy that the suicide attempt didn’t
actually work out. And remember things do get better. Suicide is 100% preventable,
speak out and reach out. People should at least try to get help even
through its really hard at the time. There are many people that can
help you. Everyone is concern about teens committing suicide. Everyone
feels guilt when a teen commits suicide because they think they could
have done something to prevent the suicide.People shouldn’t feel embarrassed about trying to attempt suicide or
even expressing their personal feelings. Everyone has difficult times
in their lives and we need to help each other. Just remember things do
get better."
Laura also suffered abuse.
"I have never really told many people how far the bullying got; I don't think my mum even knows really.
I have never been slim, but I was never that big, yeah I am
overweight but not by that much-I have never been anywhere close to
being obese and I don't have a double chin or rolls on my stomach
except when I sit down. Yet in the latter years of primary school I was
constantly called fat by boys and a few mean girls, they would try and
lift up my jumper and say things like-"She's got a pillow up her top,
oh wait it's just her fat stomach,". I did have some close friends but
my best friend who was also plumper and overweight was one year older
and at a different school, she understood how I felt as she was bullied
because of the steroids she has to take for her arthritis (from birth)
made her gain weight.
The real bullying started when I reached secondary school, the first
few week were good until a girl from my old primary school joined late
as she was ill and started telling people lies and how I was so fat I
have once made a chair collapse, people were soon making fun of me and
calling me names and soon the friends I had made were too embarrassed
to hang out with me and I got really depressed. I was confused as well
because at my biggest I was only a size 14/16 and I was nearly 5, 8" by the time I was 12/13, compared to the
blonde petite girls in my year I was ugly and fat according to them.
After a school residential trip in France where comments such as
"OMG, she's gonna sink the boat," and "Are you sure she needs as much
food as the rest of us," I snapped and a day after getting home I tried
to hang myself because I thought it would be best to die and not have
to face up to them at school. My mum found before I could really try and
took me to see doctors and people who thought they could help,
although I then saw that killing myself was not the way out I still
felt so isolated and lonely. The bullying didn't stop as all the head
teacher would say is-"You’re lying, there are no bullies at this
school,”
In 2010 I decided to move schools and I now love it there, I am
starting my GCSE's have some really good friends and I have lost 20lb
and loads of people are complementing me, I still get the odd remark
about my size, or the way I look but I calmly say I don't care and walk
away as I know they are only doing it for attention.
Since moving schools my grades have gone up as I am happier and I am
hoping to go to University to study History and/ or Motivational
speaking as I want everyone to know that they are special and
beautiful."
As you can see, bullying is, without question, one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can suffer in their lifetime. It is also completely and totally preventable. It's pretty simple, actually: DON'T BULLY. It takes more effort to bully someone than it does to NOT bully. There is no reason to be cruel to someone. You don't realize how much your words hurt someone; you don't know what they have to deal with at home, or what they've been through. People suffer all kinds of abuse and never tell anyone about it, just keep it inside all the time; your cruel joke could be the final straw, it could make them take their life.
SUICIDE HOTLINE - 1-800-273-8255
