Thanks for taking the time to reach out to us this evening. It definitely sounds like you are having a really hard time at school...nobody likes to get picked on, bullied, or singled out. We know this must be a difficult time for you right now, so you're really doing a great thing by reaching out to us for some help and support. Its really easy to start feeling down and like you don't deserve anybody's help. We're here to reassure you that you are important, you don't deserve to be treated this way, and you deserve for people to listen to you, respect you, and help you get through this.

This best way to get the bullying to stop is by reaching out to adults in the area. Teachers, the school counselor, a principal, a coach, the band instructor, or any other adults who you know and trust would all be really amazing people to reach out to for some help and support. If you try and go through this by yourself it can feel overwhelming, if you try to lash out by punching the people who are bullying you it might just make things worse, and if you get them an emotional reaction it can just escalate the bullying even further. Don't give them what they want...don't let them get the best of you. Instead, reach out to an adult so you can have some leverage in this whole thing. Bullies are usually really timid when authority figures are brought into the picture. You don't deserve to be treated this way and help is out there, so please reach out for it.

Most schools have some sort of anti-bullying procedure they should follow when things like this pop up. Reach out to the school counselor and tell them what has been going on. The most specific you are, the better (times when the bullying occurs, where it happens, what people do or say to you, etc.). Then, ask to go over the anti-bullying policy to see what should be done to get things under control. You don't deserve for these things to be happening to you, so reaching out for help to get you through this really is the best way to go.

Remember that your feelings are important, so you definitely shouldn't try and go through this alone, k? Friends, family, and adults who you know and trust would all be really great people to open up to about your experiences. Don't try to bottle your feelings up inside and carry them around- the weight on your shoulders could really start to drag you down, and you definitely don't want that. Doing things to cope and relax like listening to music, playing video games, writing in a journal, writings poems or song lyrics, and even exercise are all great ways to relax, cope with your feelings, or burn off some stress. You deserve to have healthy coping skills, and these are just a few examples of some things you could be doing.

Stay strong and keep hanging in there. Hopefully this response has given you some things to think about, but remember that we're always just an email or a phone call away when you need some support, somebody to vent to, or some insight. We're definitely here for you!

Abe, Counselor