Bullying can take any number of forms. Everybody has heard of instances of cyber-bullying, and usually attributes this and face-to-face bullying with the teen age group and younger; generally, young people who are in school. Instances of this kind of bullying are seen in many different movies and television, but the fact is that bullying can take place in a much larger spectrum. Adult bullying, though much less known by the general public, can be just as devastating to those involved.
One of the tragic facts about adult bullying is that the victims of it are often much less likely to report what is going on than those victims who are younger. As such, there aren’t reliable statistics that exist to guess how many adults actually endure bullying. However, it is known that while the situations vary greatly, the most common place for this type of bullying to take place is at work. Here, bullying often starts when one adult feels the need to try and assert their power or desired authority over someone else. It is a terrible and tragic situation that people get stuck in, with dire consequences.
Bullying can also occur in many other areas of our lives such as online, at social gatherings, in relationships and even the home.
The emotional and psychological damage that scar the victims of bullying can be deep and hard to fix, even as time goes on. Long lasting conditions such as a sense of isolation, anxiety and depression can also result. The absolute worst result, however, is suicide of the victim. All of these negative outcomes of bullying, as well as the act of bullying itself, can be really hard to deal with, especially when someone tries to do so on their own. That is why it is important that adults educate themselves on the issue, so that should they ever find themselves in some situation about bullying, they can handle it properly.
One important strategy to keep in mind for people who have been made a target of bullying is that they should never present themselves as being defenceless or victimized. Rather, when someone shows himself or herself as being empowered it can be very effective for keeping bullies away. A bully will not want to target someone who would stand up to them. One great way to do this is to get involved in some form of martial art. If learned correctly, martial art can be a great way to feel assertive. Because this is a practice that is defence-based, it can help one to project a sense of confidence and power that will not attract the attention of bullies.
It is important that people recognize the gravity and prevalence of adult bullying. It affects more adults than most of us realize, and is no less scarring and dangerous than when bullying occurs in younger age groups. While it may be difficult to seek out specific bullying cases and put them to an end, it is possible to prevent more from happening if adults educate themselves on the problem and take steps to empower themselves, and rise above the bullies that exist. It is also important to remember that reporting bullying to authorities and speaking out about the problem can help people to realize how great of an issue adult bullying really is.
At Arakan Martial Art we often have new students come to us who have been the target of bullies (often many times in their lives). These students tell us that once they commence training they feel much more empowered and confident and in turn notice that people treat them differently and with more respect. Please feel free to take up our offer of a complimentary one on one private lesson by filling in the form on this page. It may change your life!