On Recovery After Being Bullied: Leading a Happier Life

By: CNN, GS

Suggestions:

                Being bullied can beat you down and make you miserable. Everyone who has been a victim to any physical or psychological trauma should be happy as soon as possible after emotionally healing and coming to terms with what has happened to him or her.  A recent video by The Young Turks covered a study concerning which activities made people the happiest, as well as what made them the least happy. The most fulfilling activities that would be appropriate for children to take part in include volunteering, meditating, and caring for children. Others are listening to music, socializing, and shopping. Most of these involve getting out there and enjoying the company of other people, so that is probably one of the best bets of someone wishing to recover from emotional trauma. Beware, though, of spending too much time on Facebook, texting, or driving, as these ranked among the least meaningful and pleasurable activities.

                Really, nothing in this study is too surprising to most people—it is clear that spending face-to-face time with other people would be a more worthwhile application of one’s resources and time then online social media. People actually want to see your beautiful face!

My Two Cents:

                Make your life worthwhile! You deserve it. Maybe go out with your friend and buy them a bottle of juice or something. While you are at it, dress it up like your favorite celebrity. Have fun! You may find that laughing and spending time together is a much better experience than a “lol” over texting. Laughing is a lot better when you actually do it. YOLO. You Only Live Once. I encourage everyone to make the most of their life. Don’t worry . . . be happy . . . ;^) 

What is Bullying?

By: LS
Picture by: DD

                  Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. People who are bullied and who bully others may experience negative lasting effects. These effects can include mental health, substance use, and suicide. It is important talk to victims to determine whether bullying- or something else- is a concern.
                  Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that occurs using technology. These electronics can include cellphones, computers, and tablets, as well as methods of communications such as social media sites. Cyberbullying is more common among children and young adults due to a surplus of electronic devices. It is important to support all those who are cyberbullied or cyberbullying to minimize effects.
                 Physical bullying occurs most often at school, although it can happen anywhere. When students are in middle school, it is the age when harassing is most common. Unfortunately, almost all middle school students are affected directly or indirectly by bullying. The want to fit in with peers drives many bullies and hurts many victims at the middle school age.
                   When bullying comes to mind, people typically think of physical bullying. However, bullying goes beyond physical bullying and can encompass the verbal. It may sound strange, but verbal bullying can be just as harmful as physical bullying. To be clear, teasing and name-calling are both examples of verbal bullying. Using language to hurt can affect one's self image and confidence.
                     Covert bullying is often one of the harder types of bullying to recognize, and can be carried out behind a victim's back. It is designed to harm a person's social reputation and/or cause humiliation.
                      In conclusion, bullying, whether verbal, physical, covert, or cyber, can be harmful. But, with kindness and acceptance of and to others, this abuse can be stopped.

Intro to Hand by Hand, We'll Take a Stand

By: Soprano
Artwork by: DD

 

                 Bullying. We all know that it’s everywhere. It could be at school, online, during activities or teams, or maybe even at a person’s home. Bullies can come in all different shapes and sizes. A bully could be a big buff guy that routinely shoves you against your locker, leaving you with multiple bruises. Or a bully could be a popular girl who uses her charisma and “stature” to make everyone hate you. Just because you got yourself on the "Loser List" for liking math. But, one thing is for sure: Bullying destroys people and relationships.  When you bully someone, you make him or her doubt his or her self-worth. You want to make the person look stupid or feel stupid. These people are called victims. They are the bully’s “punching bag”, figuratively or literally.

                Sometimes the bully uses intimidation to turn a group of people against another person, even the victim’s former friends. In a lot of these cases, the victim feels alone, unwanted, and unneeded. Imagine a world where you thought that nobody wanted you around. A lot of victims have been lead into depression, which then leads to them bullying someone else or even suicide. This is why we want to get the word out to the world to help victims of bullying. Using blog posts, videos, and interviews, we will teach the world about the harmful affects of bullying while finding victims or former victims in our community and asking them what they did or do to cope with their problems.

                We are just a small troop with a huge dream. We want to see a new fresh generation of happiness and joy around the world. But maybe, one day, with your help, our dream will become reality. So spread the word. Tell all of your friends and family. Help us make the world a better place!