‘Want to know all the bullying and psychological effects? Here are all the emotions that come with being a victim of bullying.
Bullying and psychological effects are closely related. Targets go through so many raw emotions. They go from anger, to sadness, to hopelessness and so much more.
Therefore, in this post, you will learn all the emotions victims feel so that you can know what you’re feeling and know when to get help.
Once you learn all about this important information, you will be able to better take care of yourself.
This post is all about bullying and psychological effects so that you can show yourself compassion and get profession help when you need it.
Bullying and Psychological Effects
If you’re a victim of bullying, here are all the emotions you’ll likely feel so that you can understand what you’re feeling and why. Self-knowledge is one of the steps to overcoming bullying.
Emotions Victims of Bullying Feel
Targets of bullying endure a hell that no one can comprehend. Unless they have experienced bullying, others won’t understand what it does.
It’s the same with the range of resulting emotions they feel. Unless you’ve been there, you can’t imagine the intense stress and the wide array of powerful emotions that come with it. The psychological effects cannot be underestimated!
1. Grief
Once bullies select you as their object of bullying, life as you know it changes. You mourn for the way your life used to be and long to get things back to the way they were.
You also grieve the loss of the dignity and respect you once had. Moreover, you mourn the loss of your reputation and good standing. In fact, you’ve lost your entire identity.
You grieve for your friends and in some cases, your spouse and family. There’s nothing worse than to endure grief over a loved one who’s still alive.
2. Bullying and Psychological Effects:
Bewilderment
You don’t understand why this is happening to you. You can’t fathom why people are bullying you because you know you’ve done nothing to deserve it.
You’re shocked that people you love and who you thought loved you have turned against you. You’re also at a loss as to what you did to bring about such hatred.
In your heart, you know that you’re a great person. You’re fully aware of the good you bring to this world.
3. Bullying and Psychological Effects:
Confusion
You don’t know which way to turn. Who do you turn to? How do you remedy the situation? Each time you do something to make things better, the bullying only intensifies. Therefore, you feel stuck!
4. Terror
Anytime you’re targeted, the fear can be paralyzing. You’re afraid to speak but afraid not to speak.
Moreover, you’re frightened of the people around you. You’re scared to make any moves or decisions. Why? Because you know that people will scrutinize anything you do.
They’ll only see it in a negative light. You’re afraid to come to school or work because you know what’s waiting for you when you get there.
You know that none of it is just your imagination. They’re all out to get you and if you show up, they’ll only blindside you with another bullying attack.
5. Sadness
You cry in your car to and from your school or your job. You cry in your pillow at night when you go to bed.
It seems that no one will give you a chance. Therefore, you’re isolated and alone. When you try to make new friends, the bullies always seem to intervene.
They turn the new people against you too. The type of sadness you feel is the kind that is deep, dark, and overwhelming.
6. Bullying and Psychological Effects:
Depression
Depression is the lowest point bullying can drive you to. Why? Because it comes from feelings of powerlessness. When you think that you have power over nothing, it’s as if your life has been set to autopilot.
Therefore, you feel like a leaf being blown around in the wind. This is the epitome of hell on earth. Why? Because it seems that there’s nothing you can do to change the situation. It’s the feeling of being bound and gagged.
Bullying makes you feel trapped like a rat. And there’s nowhere to go where the bullies won’t find you. Therefore, it seems that things will never get better.
When you’re depressed, you don’t fight back because you’re exhausted from all the bullying you’ve endured. Therefore, you resign yourself after so long.
After bullying has knocked you on your ass enough times, you want to give up. However, it’s not that you want to quit, you only want a break from the bullying.
Moreover, you want to feel some semblance of peace. You want to rest because you’re so damn tired!
Depression Also Comes from Exhaustion.
Therefore, you lose the will to fight.
This is why bullies love picking on the depressed because they’re least likely to push back. Understand that when you’re depressed, they’ve already diminished you. Therefore, the bullies don’t have to work so hard to bring you down.
They’ve already accomplished that mission. Therefore, all the bullies have to do is keep you down. After all, it’s much easier to keep someone on their knees than it is to bring them to their knees.
In other words, it’s always easier to maintain something than it is to change it.
If this describes you, don’t lose hope! Know that things will get better and you will heal. You many need lots of therapy, but you can regain their confidence and feel good again.
Moreover, you can take your life back.
It won’t be easy. In fact, it will be hard, even exhausting at times, but will be worth it later. If you are battling depression brought about by bullying, or anything else, know that there are people who care. You are not alone and it’s okay to not be okay.
7. Bullying and Psychological Effects:
Rage
This is, by far, THE most powerful emotion you can have. With each physical or psychological attack, the fury grows.
Therefore, it festers until you just want to rip the bullies’ heads off and shove them up their butts. Oh, yes! Rage does that to you. It gives you such evil thoughts!
If you aren’t careful, the bullying can make you feel homicidal! In other words, you’ll loathe your bullies so intensely that you’ll just want them all to drop dead.
But please! Use your brain. Don’t allow yourself to snap and take any lives. Instead, think about your future. Moreover, think about the consequences you’d face.
The bullying you suffer will only last for a little while. Therefore, your bullies aren’t worth you ruining your future.
Also, they’re not worth the pain you’d cause the people who love you. Rest assured that, eventually, a door will open for you. And you will be able to transfer to a new school or job where things will be so much better.
8. Suicidal thoughts
It’s not that you want to die. You just want the torment to stop. Therefore, when the torture reaches a certain level, death seems to be the only escape.
These thoughts happen when you feel you’ve exhausted every possible option to make things better. However, don’t give up.
As long as you’re alive, there’s always a good chance that things will change. If you hang tough, things will get better and you’ll come out victorious on the other side of it.
I want you to know that if you suffer bullying, things may seem hopeless but they aren’t. Things are going to change for the better. And it will happen when you least expect them to.
9. Bullying and Psychological Effects:
shame
Bullying comes with a high level of shame. Bullies can ritually torment you to the point that you may begin viewing yourself through their eyes.
Toxic shame is, perhaps, the worst effect of bullying. Why? Because once you begin seeing yourself through the eyes of your abusers, that’s when you know you’ve hit rock bottom.
Your abusers’ contempt, disgust, and aversion toward you have rubbed off on you. Therefore, you began to hate yourself.
But I want you to understand that this is what your bullies want. They want you to hate yourself. Because the bullies know that once they finally get you to hate yourself, they’ve won.
Your bullies aren’t dimwitted. They know that you’ll submit to the abuse because when a person hates themselves, they think they deserve abuse.
When a target of bullying suffers from toxic shame, they accuse themselves of sins of which they aren’t guilty. They apologize incessantly over things that aren’t their fault. Ultimately, targets feel guilty for merely existing!
There, you must fight like the devil to keep your self-esteem and confidence. Educate yourself on the psychology of bullies and bullying. Then, you will have the knowledge to empower yourself.
10. You Grow Numb to the bullying
Some people endure bullying and gaslighting for so long they seem to grow accustomed to it. Therefore, they become emotionally numb.
This is one of the most heartbreaking effects of bullying. When the bullying has gone on for so long that the attacks don’t even hurt anymore. You may think you’ve finally toughened up.
However, here’s what’s really happening here. You’ve gotten so used to the torment that the more subtle attacks no longer sound cruel.
Now, some people think that targets are better off when they no longer realize they’re being bullied. But are they really?
In some instances, yes, and in others, no. If you don’t react because you don’t know to, some bullies will get bored with the lack of response and leave you alone.
But others will only bully you worse.
Either way, there comes a point when the target just says, “F it!” and doesn’t care anymore. In order to survive and keep your sanity, sometimes it becomes a necessity not to give a damn until you can find a way out.
The effects of bullying are no joke and you shouldn’t take them lightly. So, get wise to your bullies’ mind games.
I can’t stress this enough! Things may seem utterly hopeless now but it won’t always be this way. This is the time to dig in your heels and fight to keep your self-esteem intact. Whatever you do, don’t give up!
Look to the future because you never know what tomorrow will bring! Things eventually improved for me. And they will for you too.
Know that one day, you’ll finally live in peace.
This post was all about bullying and psychological effects so that you’ll recognize them and do what you must to keep your sanity and heal from bullying.
Related posts you’ll enjoy:
1. Effects of Bullying on the Victim: 13 Symptoms of Bullied People
2. The Effects of Bullying: 17 Negative Results on Victims
3. Psychological Effects of Gaslighting: 11 Ways it Impacts Victims