​​​​​​Children's Health Awareness Program in Schools

           making American schools healthy, one child at a time 

How to recognize bullying?
Physical, emotional, and verbal bullying are easily recognizable forms of bullying, but with the advent of the internet a new form of bullying has emerged - Cyber bullying. Physical bullying, however is rarely the first form of bullying.
Physical bullying is when someone is physically hurting another without their consent. For example kicking, punching, elbowing, or any other body part.
Emotional bullying is when someone is emotionally hurting someone and deliberately causing emotional distress. For example not including people, spreading rumors, and talking about others behind their back.
Verbal bullying occurs a lot in schools. It occurs when someone makes fun of a victim such as name-calling, insulting, teasing, etc. Verbal bullying mostly occurs by using words, and not physically touching someone.
Cyber bullying occurs when someone gets bullied through the internet. Today, cyber bullying happens often because many people use the internet. For example, posting mean things about people through emails, text messages, websites, or even social net works sites. 

ANTI-BULLYING

The National Center Against Bullying (NCAB) defines bullying as, "when someone or a group of people with more power repeatedly and intentionally causes hurt or harm to another person or group of people who feel helpless to respond. Bullying can continue over time, is often hidden from adults and will probably continue if no action is taken."

STRATEGIES AGAINST BULLYING

A healthy body begins with a healthy mind! A healthy mind gives us the power to live a more fun, happier and fuller life. When we are happy, people around us are happy. It is said that our environment takes cues from us. If we have positive mental health then we are surrounded by positive energy. This positive energy can be achieved by:

1. Healthy and positive thoughts
2. Eating healthy foods
3. Getting enough exercise - mental and physical
4. Spending a few minutes in quiet inward reflection

Self Talk

​If you are being teased by a bully, don't be upset. You should feel comfortable in who you are. Be confident in yourself. Who cares what others think. What you think matters.
If you get teased, you should try saying positive things to yourself, such as:

• "I am not going to cry or get mad if the teasing starts again."
  
• "I know I am not foolish, so it does not matter what they say. I am going to take a deep breath, remind myself it isn't true, and not get upset."​
  
• I don't like when kids say mean things to me. I dislike it when they make fun of me, but I am going to handle it. This is not the end of the world."
  

Those are some positive things you can say to yourself to make you feel more confident.

Agree With The Teaser

 If you are getting bullied, some ways to help you with your conversation is that you should agree with what the teaser is saying.

• Bully: "You are so fat! " Victim: "Yup! I am over weight!"​
  
• Bully: "You are a shrimp!" Victim: "You are right! I'm very short!"

These are great ways to scare off bullies. Say these statements with a confidence. 

 

MENTAL HEALTH