When someone issues a threat to abuse or dominate another it is seen as an act of bullying. Being bullied is a common situation that children and even adults are faced with daily. It is often difficult to understand why the person is being aggressive towards us and how to diffuse their aggressive behavior. Bullies will often wait to exhibit this behavior until we are isolated and there are minimal chances for them to be corrected by an authority figure, which is often a teacher or another adult. This type of behavior can happen just about anywhere: in class, on the bus, in your neighborhood.

There are several techniques that we can use to soften these situations. It is often overwhelming to start using these practices but having good and consistent habits are one of the best ways to counter this. The first thing to do is to speak up and say that something wrong is going on. In some cases, this is simply enough to change the situation. If that does not help, ask other peers around you to speak up as well. If that does not help, seek out the help of an adult. It is best is perpetrator knows the adult, so that an established relationship can be followed up with this person. The worksheets in section will help you learn to identify these behaviors and develop methods for extinguishing the situations.