Getting bullied in college!

shy_boy

Hi all.. Wasn't sure where to post this but I feel I'm being bullied and it woudnt be the first time.or Tell me whether I'm just being paranoid !

I have been bullied in school growing up and on the street as a kid and the first time I was in college I was also bullied which lead to me leaving college. My life was a train reck after that and I have pulled myself together since. But I find it very hard to feel comfortable around my class mates ( I am now bk in college thank god) , I often feel like I'm less than a person to everyone else! Lack a lot of confidence and social skills maybe as we'll but I am never mean to the people around me.. I usually just smile and try to be as nice as I can to people....

All this has lead to me probably looking paranoid in class I try to shake it off but it gets the better of me sometimes... I have noticed recently that 2 people in particular have noticed my paranoia and are starting to take the piss out of me right in front of me and the whole class(kinda a joke between the 2 of them) if ye get me. .... I didn't let them know that I know if ye get me... How should I go about this matter ?? Please and thanks..!

December2012

It's possible (without knowing more) that these folk are trying to make a joke (yknow the way lads slag their mates?) but you're taking it this way because of your past.

Did you ever go talk to somebody like a counsellor about the past bullying?

boomchicawawa

Sorry to hear about your problem, but you may be overreacting. It's hard to know, sometimes people tease but they really mean no harm and these guys maybe are unaware that its hit a nerve with you. It sounds like you're unsure if its being done in a bullying way. I have found that people usually (not always) grow up and the bullying you experienced when you were young would not be repeated as you get older.

However it would have made you frailer than someone else who has never experienced bullying. You need to work on your self confidence first, you may have been doing this already as you have returned to college which is a great step in the right direction. But maybe work on it a bit more, you are probably not a target but no one wants to be put down and you need to learn to handle this as you have had such a negative experience before.

You need to learn to ignore comments or better still to be able to 'bat them back' and appear not to care. When I was growing up my older brother used to always try to hurt me with insults, I learnt to verbally fight my corner (even when it nearly brought me to tears) and if I appeared not be upset, he would always move on......it made me a tougher individual, try to grow a second skin.

There's a guy on my course who is such a laugh, he appears to be very light hearted and has become the butt of some light teasing, really because we all like him and he's such a ditz, but the other night he confided in me that he is going through a broken heart and is miserable, it made me think and sometimes we just don't know people are having a hard time and putting a smile on in the morning, generally people don't want to hurt others, they just take teasing too far without really thinking it out. Give these guys the benefit of the doubt and don't let it get to a stage where you begin hate college. Good luck xx