The first Anti-Bullying Day started on Canada鈥檚 East Coast in 2007, when David Shepherd and Travis Price bought 50 pink shirts and distributed them at home in Berwick, Nova Scotia. The motivation for this special day came after grade nine student Chuck McNeill wore a pink shirt on the first day of school. Today, Anti-Bullying Day is commemorated across the world in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
The humane gesture by Shepherd and Price had turned into an international movement against bullying. Although the United Nations declared the official day to be May 4, Anti-Bullying Day is still recognized in late February throughout the world.
Childhood bullying can generate abysmal repercussions. Some victims have even chosen to end their lives because of bullying. A study by the Yale School of Medicine uncovered an association between bullying and suicide. Further, statistics by the United States Department of Justice said 71 per cent of students in the States have encountered bullying at some point in their lives.聽聽聽
Bullying is often considered to be an unfortunate childhood event. Many of us still consider bullying as a phenomenon happening on the playgrounds, or in high school gyms. However, bullying can also be a frequent occurrence in the workplace and in other settings within the so-called adult world.
Adult bullies could be intimidating bosses or co-workers, manipulative romantic partners, rude neighbours or patronizing family members.
Preston Ni, a tenured faculty member of the Communications Studies Department at Foothill College in California, wrote many self-help books with psychological and communication-based themes. The title, How to Successfully Handle Aggressive, Intimidating and Controlling People, gave advice on how to deal with difficult colleagues by using a mixture of perceptive and assertive communications. In a November 2016 article in Psychology Today Canada, Ni gave some methods of managing adult bullying which were paraphrased from his book. 聽聽聽
One important point Ni underlined was safety. If an individual doesn鈥檛 feel safe in a situation, they should leave then contact the appropriate legal authorities if necessary.
If the bullying issue must be dealt with, Ni advised readers to discuss the problem with friends and advisors about what approaches to take, with one鈥檚 personal wellbeing kept as the main priority. 鈥淲e鈥檙e never stuck unless we have blinders on. Keep your options open,鈥� Ni said.
Whenever anyone is managing a bully, they should keep their cool and avoid imprudent reactions. Bullies project their aggressive behaviours by pushing their victim鈥檚 buttons, thus keeping them off balance 鈥� this is how they can exploit a person鈥檚 weaknesses. Effective and balanced judgments will result in better outcomes, according to Ni. Remaining calm and confident under stress is the key whenever one face鈥檚 unwarranted belligerence.
Ni said victims shouldn鈥檛 communicate with their aggressors unless this is completely necessary. But if the victim must interact with a bully, he recommended the use of assertive, but measured communications in response.
Quiet sufferers are mentally and emotionally unhealthy, Ni determined. He recommended victims of bullying to find emotional aid from either people they know personally or from professionals. 鈥淣o matter how difficult the circumstance, seek out trustworthy individuals to confide in, whether they be friends, family, workplace confidants, counsellors, or operators on a crisis hotline. Sharing your experience is not only cathartic; the support you receive may often strengthen your ability to handle the challenge.鈥�
