The Trauma of Bullying

By Christian Morales, Youth Development Correspondent

Everyone in some shape or form has been involved in bullying. Whether you witnessed it, were a victim or even were a bully. Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. I’ve seen first hand what physical issues can come from bullying, most from the amount of stress a person has. Headaches, muscle pains and contractions, digestive upset, and altered immune functionality are real effects that a person can experience through being bullied.

In addition, this past summer as an Americorps member at Creative Solutions (CS), I witnessed the mental and emotional fatigue bullying can cause. In this specific situation, a student was being picked on at summer school and at home for being overweight. After de-escalating, I had the opportunity to hear their voice and really get to understand what all she was experiencing. The dehumanization of others has evolved into an epidemic; picking on each other will never get humanity anywhere.

Some of the greatest minds might not share their ideas, because they won’t have the confidence to speak for themselves or feel insecure about their intellect. Given the most influential type of support is from your peers, it would make sense why there’s no form of bullying more traumatizing than from your peers. That’s why programs like CS exist: to rebuild the minds of adolescents and equip them with life skills they might not have learned if not for the positive outlet they were given.