Alex's Answer

Hello there, 

Thanks for reaching out and for sharing what’s been going on for you. We are sorry to hear things have been this tough for you. Bullying and suicidal thoughts can be difficult to deal with and it’s not easy to ask for help, so well done! 

Bullying can always be stopped, but only you can decide what you are most comfortable doing and what might work for your circumstances. There are lots of different approaches to dealing with bullies. We will cover a few here.

Sometimes confronting your bullies can be a way to resolve the issue. Bullies thrive on getting an emotional response to their actions and a feeling of power. If you do feel like you can stand your ground, try to show them confidence and assert yourself. You can take some time to think about or practise some responses so you are more prepared and can prevent them from getting under your skin which is really what they want. If you don’t want to directly engage with the bullies, try not to respond to their behaviour. If they see you are uninterested in what they have to say, walking away from them, or not responding to their comments, they may lose interest. Only take the actions that feel comfortable to you. 

Talk to someone you trust. If this is happening at school, you can confide in a teacher or your principal if they are around during the school holiday, who will be able to intervene. If you don’t want to get the school involved, consider talking to a close friend. They can help you confront the bullies or even just offer some support.  

When it comes to suicidal thoughts, talking to someone can also help. Sometimes just getting things off our chest can do a lot in helping us feel better. If you would be more comfortable talking to someone you don’t know, you can also reach out to one of many support services like Childline.  

Find what helps you cope and brings up good feelings for you. Strategies include listening to music, writing, exercising or spending time with friends. Different approaches work for different people so try a few things and try remembering what works for you when you are struggling. During difficult times, it can also help to try focus on the positive things in your life. Your friends and loved ones, your pets and your goals, you need to be here for these.  

Stay safe. Remove potentially dangerous items like sharp objects from your environment or remove yourself from the area. If you are in a safe space where you are unable to hurt yourself, stay there. Put together a safety plan for yourself that outlines some steps you can take when you begin to feel suicidal. These steps can include calling a friend, moving to a safe space or calling a support service. Like Childline, who are there for you 24 hours a day, every day.  

Have you considered asking for professional help? You are not alone, there are many services out there for people just like you, who have the right to be and deserve to be happy. A good place to start would be approaching your GP or school counsellor if they are available. 

If you find your suicidal thoughts are becoming more difficult to manage, we would recommend reaching out to a support service who specialise in suicide and self-harm. Pieta House (www.pieta.ie/) has a free 24/7 helpline: 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444, or the Crisis helpline who have a free 24hour text service text50808.ie/ .  

Childline are also here for you 24 hours a day, every day,  so you never have to be alone. You can contact us via phone: 1800 666 666, or through our webchat at www.childline.ie/ (click the orange Live Chat button and follow the guidelines). Childline is a confidential, non-judgemental, listening support service. We can help you come up with some options to keeping your safe. 

We hope this information is useful for you. Thank you again for reaching out. 

All the best, we hope to hear from you soon. 

Alex