What should I do?

When confronted by someone who bullies you or others, it can be a difficult situation.

Although it can be very frightening, there are things you can try that can help you deal with the bullying until you can tell someone you trust.

There's no perfect solution, but some of the following might work:

• Avoid places where the bullying normally takes place
• Stay calm and walk away when bullying starts
• Act confident; if you show you're not afraid, they might leave you alone
• Don't listen to what they are saying to you
• Use your best judgement. Sometimes giving in to their demands can help, but it's not a long-term solution
• People who bully want to get a reaction out of you, but don't retaliate. Two wrongs don't make a right and there's the danger of you getting into trouble too
• Don't let them see they're getting to you
• Don't suffer in silence, bullying is wrong and you should tell someone
• Make sure you've got your friends around you most of the time. The person who is bullying you might not feel so confident in targeting you if you're part of a group

Making it stop

The most important thing to remember is that you mustn't ignore the fact that you're being bullied.

The person bullying you shouldn't get away with what they're doing and you deserve to live your life hassle-free. Bullying is wrong and you need to take action to stop it continuing.

You need to tell someone. If you don't want to go straight to a teacher or parent, why not confide in a friend and see what they think? Maybe your friend has noticed that there's been a problem and is willing to back you up when you tell someone else.

You should also try and write down dates, times and places of when the bullying is happening.

See the section on 'How to stop bullying' for more information.