‘Want to know the examples of non verbal bullying? Here are the most common examples you need to know about.
Bullies know what they’re doing. They know that if they can intimidate you through nonverbal communication, they can do it quietly, without drawing attention to their behavior. Moreover, they know that their victims are more likely to stay silent because if they report it, others are likely to blow them of as sufferers of paranoia.
Therefore, in this post, you will learn about all the examples of non verbal bullying, how to recognize it, and what you can do to counter it.
Once you learn about all these gestures, you will then be able to use your own nonverbals to let your bullies know that you’re not one who’ll be threatened by them. As a result, they will likely leave you alone and go find an easier target.
This post is all about the examples of non verbal bullying, how to recognize them, and what you can do to counter them.
Examples of non verbal bullying
Most seasoned bullies seek to intimidate others by nonverbal means. Why? Because nonverbal bullying is subtle and least likely to be detected.
Moreover, this type of bullying can occur either at school, in the workplace, or anywhere. Here are a few such subtleties.
So, How do Bullies Use Nonverbal communication to bully you?
1. They lean against your desk, office doorway, car, etc.
Understand that when people lean against an object, they are, in a sense, laying claim to that object. Therefore, when bullies learn against your desk, car, or any object that belongs to you, they are non verbally claiming it as theirs.
Also, they do it to intimidate you and dare you to say or do something about it. So, how do you deal with this?
You handle it simply by telling the bully point blank and in a stern voice,
“Get off my desk (car, etc.)”
And you must address this the very first time this occurs.
2. The bully will sit in your chair.
Again, any chair you sit in, you non-verbally lay claim to.
Address it by telling the person in no uncertain terms to unseat your chair. Also, it’s important that you speak out right then, the first time it happens. Otherwise, the bully will think they can do it again.
Therefore, never let someone get away with this even the first time.
3. Examples of Non Verbal Bullying:
The bully may also pick your purse or notebook off your desk, touch your property, etc.
I can’t stress this enough! You must realize that anything of yours the bully touches, he is laying claim to.
The unspoken message that the bully is sending is, “I own your desk, car, notebook, and anything that’s yours.”
Therefore, don’t ignore it, and don’t be quiet about it. Open your mouth and tell the creep to keep his hands off your stuff.
The bully may also walk up to your table in the cafeteria or a restaurant, pluck a morsel of food from your plate and pop it in their mouth without even asking.
Realize that when a bully does this, they are challenging you. Their message is,
“I just took a piece of your lunch. Now, what are you going to do about it?”
Moreover, female bullies will often go through their target’s purses or jacket pockets or flip through their notebooks, yearbooks, or diaries. I’ve also heard of bullies walking into people’s homes without knocking.
During school or business trips, bullies may go through your luggage and steal money, articles of clothing, anything from you while you’re out of the room. Moreover, if you have multiple bullies, it’ll be difficult for you to confront the thief.
Although you may have a pretty good idea who stole your belongings, you’ll never be able to prove who took them!
Here’s another nugget of truth to think about. When bullies claim ownership of your space and property, it means that they believe they own YOU!
4. Examples of Non Verbal Bullying:
They will violate your personal space.
Bullies are notorious for getting too close.
Understand that when the bully gets in your face or looms you from behind, he is doing one or more of four things. He is either trying to intimidate you, dominate you, challenge you, or he is trying to provoke a fight.
Therefore, do what you have to do. Tell this idiot to back the hell up!
Understand that these types of bullies have unlimited audacity, and they do not respect boundaries! With people who are bold and audacious, you must take a stand!
Never ignore them or allow yourself to be intimidated because these kinds of folks will only increase the behavior if you do.
5. They give you threatening glares.
It’s the look bullies give you every time you’re in their line of sight. That stare makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck!
You know the one. It’s that creepy, bone-chilling look bullies give that makes you stop whatever you are doing or clam up when they do it?
Moreover, they look at you so intensely that you feel like you’re under a microscope! What’s even scarier is that the person doing the staring is eerily calm. They’re so still that they don’t move a muscle nor even blink!
Those angry, icy-cold eyes relentlessly bore into you like a hot needle. Those eyes look as if they could jump out at you and attack you at any moment! It reminds you of a wolf standing ever so still and eyeing an antelope, anticipating it’s next meal! Weird, no?
Granted, not all staring is necessarily bad because if a person likes you and has feelings for you, they may also stare, with their pupils dilating and crinkles forming around the eyes every time they look at you.
However, the look bullies give you is much different. Their pupils only constrict, becoming tiny black holes in the irises of their eyes. Their stare is a cold, prolonged “I’m going to kill you” look which stops you cold!
Therefore, if ever you notice anyone looking at you this way, you must return and mirror the glare to intimidate them into taking their eyes off you. And don’t take your eyes off them until they stop looking at you.
Moreover, know that covert/indirect bullies are cowards at heart, and most of the time, all it takes is you returning the stare to make these people go away.
Examples of Non Verbal Bullying
How You Respond to Non Verbal Bullying
If someone wants to harm you, they don’t have to come out and tell you. Just the same, if they want you gone, they needn’t tell you to “get the hell out.”
All they must do is glare at you and hope they can intimidate you into leaving. Moreover, your bullies want to make you think you’re about to get hurt.
In a case like this, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Worse even, others might feel the animosity between you and personal history may ruin an otherwise good day.
Therefore, if you’re a victim of bullying at a party or get-together and suddenly see your bully locking eyes with you, know that this person is giving you the message that they intend to make your day a really bad one.
You have choices. Either you can turn tail and run, or you can spend the rest of the day avoiding the bully.
how you handle it is your choice.
But wait! Here’s another choice- a better choice! You can smile at the bully, nod your head, then turn your back to them. If you want to be a smart alick, add a wave.
Therefore, you will non-verbally send your own message back to your bully, one that is very clear. You signal that they don’t scare you. You also tell the bully that you have no intentions of running.
Instead, you intend to stay and enjoy yourself with the other people at the shindig. And you will do this whether the bully likes it or not.
Also, you can mirror the bully and reciprocate the body language. In doing this, you let the bully know that you’re willing to stand your ground.
Ouch! This is not the response your bully expected!
In that, you’ve responded to the bully without being aggressive or capitulating to their silent demands that you either cower or leave.
In conclusion:
Let’s summarize.
Bullies use nonverbal means to not only send you a cruel message, but also to make their bullying less obvious to anyone else but you.
Therefore, it’s better not to respond to nonverbal bullying with words. Instead, reflect your own nonverbals back to the bully that signal that you aren’t afraid of her.
Again, nonverbal bullying requires a response that is also nonverbal. And your response should say that you will not cower or run. Instead, you will stick around, ignore the bully, and do your thing.
Related posts you’ll enjoy:
1. Defending Yourself from Bullies: 11 Best Defenses
2. Bullies in School: 5 Ways They Tell Off on Themselves Without Realizing It
3. 7 Secrets to Instantly Expose Bullies
5. Setting Boundaries: 3 Powerful Practices to Hold Your Ground