I'm being made fun of for being different and I don't know what to do about it
There are a lot of people in my school and among them, I am probably the person that can't fit in. I am a band kid and I play the trombone. I am also one of the smartest kids in my grade, having consistent A's and B's across my report card. I am not in any friend group and only have a couple of teachers and 3 people in the school that I feel comfortable with having a simple conversation with. Everyone else makes fun of me for being different and for being "too smart for my own good". All of this happens every day and I personally don't think I can cope with this any longer. I've been dealing with this for about 4 years at this point.
Comments
Hey @IllegalGarbage
Thank you so much for being so honest and for sharing this with us. I'm sorry to hear that you have been experiencing this for such a long time, no one deserves to be treated this way including you and I am sorry that you have had to.
Bullying is never okay and something that no one should ever have to experience. It can be really difficult to be experiencing, especially for 4 years. It is very understandable that you are feeling this way which is why I am really glad that you have found us and have been able to connect with us.
Fitting in at school can be tough and I want to let you know that this is a very common experience to have and you a certainly not alone in feeling this way! I am wondering if you have tried to make any connections or friends with people who share the same interests as you, like perhaps someone who is also in the band? Also playing the trombone is very impressive!!! How long have you been playing it for?
I know you mentioned that you have a few teachers at school that you feel comfortable talking to and was wondering if you have spoken to them about what has been happening, or if you have spoken to anyone else about this and the impact it has been having on you? Whether it be a teacher, family member, school counsellor, GP or mental health professional. It is important to know that you don't have to deal with this alone and that you deserve all the support available to you.
If you are wanting some more support and would like to speak to someone about this, you can also reach out to KidsHelpline. It is a free and confidential service available 24/7 over the phone or by webchat.
I wanted to share some articles with you that we have about bullying and some things that you could do. You don't deserve to be treated like this and there are some things you can do to take care of yourself during this time. I also wanted to let you know that we have some resources around friendships which may also be helpful to have a read through.
I am mindful about the impact that this must be having on you and was also curious about whether there was anything that helps you feel better when things are tough or if you had any self care strategies?
Thank you again for being so honest about what has been going on for you. We hope you know that this is a safe place and that we are all here to listen and support you as best as we can and you don't have to go through this alone.
P.S, we have also sent you an email to check in. Could you please keep an eye out for that?
Thank you for the advice, I've seen some school counselors and coordinators and have gotten quite a relationship with them. I'm better than I was but I'm still being made fun of from time to time and I don't feel anything from those insults. I don't feel comfortable talking to a proper counselor. I'm still struggling to cope but I'm getting better by the week.
Hey @IllegalGarbage it's great to hear from you again 🙂 I'm glad to hear that you've had some success with talking to school counsellors and coordinators about your experiences. It's also reassuring to hear that you're feeling better and that you're less affected by being made fun of. It takes a lot of strength and resilience to work through that. I'm sorry to hear that this is still happening though, and that you're struggling to cope. It's hard to have it happen in the first place, but hopefully as time passes it will get easier.
I saw you say that you don't feel comfortable talking to a proper counsellor. Could I ask why this is the case? We recently had a post in the community about people's experiences getting professional help if you were interested to see some personal accounts of what it's like. I also wanted to ask if there's anything you've been doing to look after yourself in the meantime? As always, we're here to listen.
