how to be brave against bullies at school

How to be Brave Against Bullies: 10 Countermoves You Can Use

Want to know how to be brave against bullies? It’s easier than you think. Here are all the countermoves you can use to stand tall against bullies.

how to be brave against bullies

Bullying can be one of the most intimidating life experiences a person can go through. Therefore, in this post, you will learn how to be brave against bullies and emerge a winner.

Once you learn all these simple tactics, you will be able to stand against your bullies with the calm confidence you never knew you had.

This post is all about how to be brave against bullies so that you can overcome them and live your life in peace.

How to Be Brave Against Bullies

It’s difficult to stand against people who mean to hurt you. They may be much bigger than you. Or they may have more social capital. However, standing up to bullying is much easier than most of “the experts” admit.

However, most people don’t know it. Therefore, they spend so many years suffering silently while others torture and torment them daily. Why? Because they don’t think that they can do anything about it.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

I’m not an expert, and I have never claimed to be. However, I speak from personal experience, and experience is the best teacher in the world. I found out through trial and error that bullying is easy to stand up to if you know the right tactics.

And the good news is that there’s always something you can do. The trick is knowing this and knowing the right tactics to use in any given situation.

Therefore, here are simple techniques you can use to stand up to bullying and eventually overcome it.

1. Know where their behavior comes from.

How to be brave against bullies is to figure out why they are bullying you. In other words, one of the first steps is to know where their behavior comes from. Does it come from fear? Jealousy?

Most bullies bully you because they’re insecure. They behave the way they do to hide their fear and cover up their insecurities. In other words, they overcompensate for their shortcomings.

For example, maybe people like you. And your bully feels threatened by that. Or, maybe you have something that bullies see as a weakness. So, they exploit it to cover their own weaknesses.

Whatever their reasons, it’s crucial that you have this knowledge so your confidence doesn’t take such a big hit.

2. How to Be Brave Against Bullies:

Return any glares, sneers, and dirty looks.

Most seasoned bullies won’t come out and tell you anything. No. Instead, they may stand across the room from you and give you the death glare. Or they may silently threaten you by pounding their fist into the palm of their opposite hand.

Whatever gesture they use, you must realize why they do this. The bully is only trying to intimidate you, but they don’t want to risk being caught.

Therefore, the best way to handle this is to return the death glare. Don’t say anything to the bully. Just glare back at them.

When you do this, you show the bully that they don’t scare you. Then, you don’t look as weak to them. And, who knows, they just might look away and leave you alone.

3. Defend Yourself Against Physical Bullying.

If nothing else, know this. If a bully puts their hands on you, it is okay to hit them back. In fact, you have a right to do it.

Therefore, don’t be afraid to put up your dukes when someone hits, kicks, or shoves you. The experts may tell you not to hit back. They may tell you to handle it more maturely.

However, you can’t get through to a bully with politeness. You must respond with strength. In other words, you must impose consequences. Why? Because consequences are the only way to get bullies to back off.

4. How to Be Brave Against Bullies:

Stand up to verbal bullying with Short, Stinging Comebacks.

In many cases, it does no good to respond to verbal attacks with silence. Why? By saying nothing, you are only giving the bullies what they want. And what they want is for you not to say anything back.

Therefore, they will keep doing it.

Thankfully, there are witty comebacks you can use to shut these creeps down. For instance, here’s a scenario you might run into:

Bully: “Your clothes look like they came from the Salvation Army!”

You: “Oh, you shop there too?”

And say it calmly. Otherwise, it won’t have an effect.

This is a good comeback because you turn the bully’s insult against them. Therefore, they will be less likely to target you with words again.

 

Here are other Comebacks you can use.

  • “If I want to hear from an ass, I’ll fart.”
  • “You know? There are other ways to get attention besides being a moron.”
  • “You’re not a very happy person, are you?”

Go here or here for more good comebacks to keep in your mental arsenal.

5. How to Be Brave Against Bullies:

Refuse to Seek Approval.

There’s nothing brave about approval-seeking. If anything, it’s cowardice, stemming from the fear that others won’t like you. True Bravery means having the courage to walk alone.

When you try to get approval, you make yourself a slave. Therefore, you are more likely to be bullied. Why? Because when you seek approval, you do some self-demeaning things to get it.

It just isn’t worth it. Realize that you don’t need approval from some people. Therefore, have some self-respect. Never seek approval from anyone other than those who love you the most.

Not everyone is going to like you. It’s a fact of life. Therefore, be okay with being disliked. Embrace your bullies’ hatred. There is dignity in it.

6. Value only the opinions of people who love and care for you.

For opinions to affect you, they must hold weight. In other words, for bullies to insult you and make you feel bad, you must first value their opinions.

Most people rarely think of this. But the value you place on someone’s opinions depends on your relationship with them. Or, it should.

For example, you would value the opinions of your mother over those of your boss. Just the same, you value your best friend’s opinions over your bullies’.

Therefore, value only what the people who love and want the best for you think. What your bullies think doesn’t matter.

7. How to Be Brave Against Bullies:

Be Choosy Who You Associate With.

In other words, refuse to have anything to do with anyone who is toxic or petty. The friends you select should bring value to your life.

In other words, don’t select people who subtract from your life as friends. Only choose those who add to it.

8. Reframe Your Weaknesses as Strengths.

Reframing your weaknesses and flaws means choosing to see them in a positive light. Doing this can help you feel better about yourself. For example, Marilyn Monroe had a small mole above her mouth.

Some people might have made fun of that. But, instead of seeing it as something to be ashamed of, she called it a beauty mark and made it a part of her style. The mole became her trademark.

Therefore, sometimes, the thing others try to tease you about can be the thing that makes you unique.

9. How to Be Brave Against Bullies:

Remember that Your Bullies’ Behavior Says More about Them, Not You.

Always remember that the way your bullies treat you reflects on them, not you. If you keep this little nugget of truth in the back of your mind, you’re less likely to be affected by bullying.

Most bullies have no control over their own lives. Therefore, they will try to take control of yours. Bullies are cowards. They may fool others into thinking they’re brave and powerful. However, they only bully you to overcompensate for their own shortcomings.

Moreover, they may do it to distract others from their own flaws. If they can put the focus on you, then no one is paying attention to them. And they won’t notice their imperfections.

10. Accept yourself as you are. 

This is most important. Therefore, I saved this one for last. The sooner you embrace all your flaws, the sooner you will overcome bullies. Realize that we all have shortcomings, even bullies have them. Therefore, relax and be yourself.

In Conclusion

Being brave against bullying isn’t as hard as it seems. It’s easy as pie. Bravery isn’t only about physical strength; it’s also about mental resilience. It’s also about self-acceptance.

And now that you know all the steps to follow, I have no doubt that you will emerge as a winner. You will build your confidence and protect your self-esteem. And you will overcome bullying and begin living your life in peace.

This post was all about how to be brave against bullies so that you can keep your confidence when they attack you.

Related posts you’ll enjoy:

1. Bullies are Cowards: Why Targets are the Brave Ones

2. Comebacks for Bullies: 12 Phrases that Shut Them Up

3. Opinions are Not Facts: 7 Reasons Those of Bullies Don’t Matter

4. How to Shut Down a Bully: 11 Comebacks that Stop Them Cold