When I was at school I was bullied quite badly for being overweight. Now I have a degree and I’m just starting a new career but I still feel really bad about myself and very conscious of my weight. I now worry I may get bullied again at work.
Anonymous
Answer
You sound like a lovely, hardworking person and nobody deserves to be bullied. The problem is that some people use difference as an excuse to abuse and put people down. However, nobody has to allow themselves to be a victim. You can go into work with your head held high and don’t forget to remind yourself that you were employed because you are good at what you do. Remember that people who abuse others do so because they feel insecure about themselves and bullying helps them to feel more powerful. If we don’t allow abusers to see they’ve upset them they will usually leave us alone. We can try reminding ourselves that we are no longer that child at school; we are adults now and have an inner strength we can draw on. Trying to taking a CBT approach and change the way we think about ourselves is what is needed here; we can try to think helpful thoughts that tell us we are strong, powerful competent and generally a likeable, friendly person. Sometimes we need the right help and support to do this.
