Cyber Bullying and Me

Yello my honeybears!

Today, I'm not talking about make up or skin care or fashion or anything that I normally talk about. I'm going to talk about Cyber Bullying.

As a lot of you may (or may not) have seen on the News or on social networking sites, there is currently a story circulating about a 14 year old girl by the name of Hannah Smith.

Hannah Smith, like many young people, had an ask.fm account. Heartbreakingly, due to this site having the anonymous setting, this young girl was bullied so badly that she took her own life.

This is a subject very close to my own heart, not because I knew the girl but because, like 1 in 5 children (according to the NSPCC), I was also bullied via social networking sites. When I was younger, it was Formspring that offered this anonymous link to someone else.

I honestly don't know how some people can sit back and go 'you know what I'll do today, I'll make this person hate their life' And I did, I hated my life. I would dread going onto my Formspring account in case I had a comment waiting for me but I hated not knowing what was there as well. I used to come online to comments saying I was an attention seeker, a slut, obese, ugly, a c**t (hate the word, refuse to even spell it), a waste of space. I used to get told that no one liked me and it was better off if I was dead. There's only so many times you can hear stuff like that before you actually start to believe it.

I was bullied for a large proportion of my childhood and adolescence by, what felt like, everyone but it was mainly people I classed as my 'best friends'. I was bullied about pretty much

I was diagnosed with depression when I was 15 years old when I finally showed my then biology teach the cuts on my hip and wrist, I was then made to have counselling and placed on medication.

I really didn't enjoy talking about what was happening with a stranger and I relied mainly on the medication. I felt like a failure for having to take medication to make me balanced so I stopped taking it.

At 16 years old, I tried to kill myself by overdosing on my tablets. Fortunately, I regretted it and was taken to hospital.

People don't realise when their words do to others. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words made me want to die.'
Everyone needs to take responsibility for what they say and what they do. Just because you're sat behind a keyboard saying these things doesn't make it any less real. You don't see what it's doing to the other person and then it's too late and they're gone. Take responsibility.

I was lucky. I got help and when I relapsed, I have a support system of my family, my best friends and my boyfriend who were always there for me when I was depressed. But other people aren't so lucky, they don't speak out about it and they don't get the help they need.

Look out for the signs. If a friend has become withdrawn from their normal activities, tearful for no reason, if they're losing or gaining weight. There are so many symptoms. I personally became withdrawn from my friends, I had suicidal thoughts, aches and pains and I found it difficult to get out of bed on a morning. I'll give you the link to the NHS website that lists more symptoms at the bottom in case you're worried about someone you care for.

My bullying experience has shattered my self confidence in my looks and everything about myself. I hope to get through all this.

Help stop bullying before it claims the life of someone else.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Thanks for the read guys :)
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Toodles!
X

P.S. I cried whilst reading articles about Hannah Smith and writing this. I thought the piglets were a much needed dose of cuteness to lift spirits slightly.