Hi there,
If someone has started to call you names and make fun of how you speak, this is bullying. Bullying is never okay and it's never your fault if it happens to you. What you can do about bullying depends on where it is happening.
If its happening at school then your teachers have a duty to support you. They should help stop the bullying from happening because school should always be a place where you are safe. Keeping a bullying diary can be a useful way of recording whats happening. Then the person you report it to can see whats happening, how often it happens and what you have to deal with.
I wonder whether this bullying is also happening online, maybe on social networking websites like Facebook? If so, there are some things that you can do quickly to protect yourself. For example, you could start by blocking the people who bully you and reporting their behaviour. You could take a screenshot of any bullying messages you've been sent. You could also tell a trusted adult. If people are using their phones to send you bullying messages, you can also report them to your mobile phone network provider.
Being bullied can make you feel powerless and like theres nothing you can do to change the situation, but this isnt true. There are people who will support you, including ChildLine counsellors. Websites like Bullying UK also have lots of supportive information about what you can do to stop bullying from carrying on.
Bullying can affect your confidence and make you feel bad about yourself, especially when people are calling you names or making fun of something that is personal to you. Its important to remember that just because someone else says something is true, it doesnt mean it is. Nobody has the right to try to make you feel bad about yourself. This video with tips on how to build your confidence back up after being bullied might help you.
You dont have to cope with bullying alone. I would always advise you to talk to a trusted adult about whats happening and get them to help put a stop to it. If you arent sure who to trust, or if you want to talk your thoughts and feelings through first, you can get in touch with ChildLine and a counsellor can support you.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
