Think back to being in Jr. High School, or High School, how did you feel? What emotions do you remember? I know for myself my feelings in Jr. High and even younger were not very high in liking myself, or believing in myself. This is because of the severe bullying I experienced for 6 years between grades 3 – 8.
(Me in grade 8, solo in ballet)
Yet I must have gotten through it. I am here today. Looking back on it now, there are three common threads that seem to follow me where ever I go that help me subconsciously or consciously get through any situation. Actually I’ve had these common threads with me since birth.
The first one is to just keep going. Putting one foot in front of the other. Inch by inch and step by step forward is always better to do. You cannot move forward by looking backward. One of my teachers as an adult said to me to just give 2 percent more each day. I didn’t have to take giant leaps forward in overcoming the bullying, just simple steps each day. Sometimes or often many times, I found myself repeating the same step until I could do the 2nd thread.
Believe in myself is the second thread. This one I know takes a lot of work, yet in time I was able to believe in myself, what I was doing, and where I was going. Being told I was not going to be a life guard (which was one of my goals) and being made fun of by my peers was hard to swallow constantly. Yet I stayed focused on this goal, and believed I could do it. And I am proud to say I did! So believe in yourself, each day, and again like the first thread just keep going, you will eventually believe in yourself. And here’s a special nugget of brilliance to help others, if you believe in someone, tell them!
(Me in 1995, as a Lifeguard at my Girl Guide summer camp)
Finally, the third thread that I have been using since childhood is letting others help me. The teachers in elementary school were so helpful, letting me stay in from outdoor recess from time to time, or letting me be with them when we were outside. I knew that if I was on my own the bullying would continue. The trick with letting others help you is asking for help. We cannot read your mind, and if you need help please ask and let someone know.
(Two of my awesome teachers and myself on my grade 8 graduation from Elementary School. Mrs. Dekyper, and Mrs. Gentle, they were instrumental in helping me get through my years of bullying)
