Yes, the title is very cliche but oh-so-true.
I'd like to share an experience of mine when I was in high school.
This is the first (and hopefully the last) time I'll tell this story and even though years had passed, it still feels good to finally let it out.
I experienced every high school student's worst fear.
I was bullied back then.
I thought that those things only happened in the US or in teen movies. I, unfortunately, experienced it in real life. The bubble of excitement I felt the summer before my freshman year started was immediately burst as soon as school started.
I was called names, laughed at for being fat and jokes were made at my expense.
I was popular, though not in a good way. I was loserville personified.
That time, I just wanted the days to be over so I can just go home and be at a place where no one would call me names.
My friends told me that the bullying will eventually stop if I ignore them. I had hoped for that but unfortunately the bullying continued until the end of the schoolyear.
I don't know how, why, or when I got over their bullying but I did. Maybe it helped that a friend of mine told me that once I did not notice them, the bullying would stop. And also, I just concentrated on the people who love me for being me and did not judge me. Because of my friends and family, I was able to overcome my fear and shame and be happy with who and what I am.
I didn't let their bullying pull me down but instead i used it as inspiration to become a better version of myself. :)
By the start of sophomore year, the bullying eventually died down, and, surprisingly, I became friends with these same people who bullied me. I didn't exactly know how but it just happened. Up until now, they are still my friends.:)
I'm not sure I would be happy to be bullied again (once in a lifetime is enough, and of all places, high school!) but this incident is a part of who I am today. I didn't realize how strong I was until this incident.
So to all you people out there who are experiencing bullying, stand tall and proud and don't let these bullies bring you down because they don't know anything about you. Take these insults as inspirations to become better versions of yourselves!
