Are you being targeted by a bully?
Remember, no one deserves to be bullied. We all have different gifts and talents. If you don’t know what yours are, take some time to figure them out. Then when the bully is crummy to you, use those things to remind yourself that you are valuable, even though the bully may work to make you feel like you’re not. When harassed, it’s natural to feel lousy and maybe even hopeless, but use positive self-talk to shut those feelings down.

Get a plan and get power!
There are ways to work with bullies. You’ve probably already been told to “ignore them and walk away.” That will work if you’re tough enough to actually anything. Human beings often have trouble not responding to remarks – kind or unkind – so you may be talking to the bully when you think you’re ignoring him or her.
Think it through – is your mouth closed as you walk away? If not, try it. If you’re not tough enough to keep your mouth closed, pick another strategy to show the bully that you won’t be intimidated by him or her. Can you use humor? Can you agree? (If you agree, you aren’t saying you really agree; you are just leaving the bully without a response. Watch. He or she will be tongue-tied.) Can you turn to a buddy and start talking to the buddy? No matter what, find a way to respond that says, “I’m confident.” That means no whining, crying, or fighting. Listen to the tone of your voice and ask for an adult’s help in this. Once you have a plan in place, practice it so you’re ready. You’ll find that in doing so you, you’ll have a sense of power, hope, and self-confidence.

Don’t expect things to stop immediately!
When you stand up to the bully, you may find that he or she gets tougher. Expect it. Re-group and evaluate your plan. You may just need to keep doing what you decided you would do. You may need to change a few things if the response wasn’t what you wanted. Either way, prepare yourself by thinking through how the bully may respond. That way you can react so that he or she won’t regain any advantage.