Alex's Answer

Hello there, 

You’re very welcome to Ask Alex. We know how difficult it can be to reach out, so you have taken a very brave step today to talk about what’s going on for you right now.  

You say that you feel like you’re being bullied in school for how you look and it’s starting to affect your mental health a lot. This is a tough situation to have to deal with and we are sorry to hear you are experiencing bullying; absolutely no one has the right to bully you. You have the right to be happy and safe in school, and it doesn’t sound like you feel like this at the moment. 

There are some steps that you can take if you are experiencing bullying. All schools in Ireland are required to have an anti-bullying policy. This is there to keep each student safe, and to prevent bullying happening in school. Is this something that is available at your school? This may give you some options of what could be done for you. You said you don’t want to talk to anyone about it, and we get that. It can be tough to talk about it, but it can also be difficult to deal with bullying alone. Are there any teachers or guidance counsellors in your school that you would feel comfortable talking to? If you don’t want to talk to anyone right now, maybe you could keep a journal and keep note of the times and dates the bullying happens? This will help you keep track of what happened if you do decide to speak to someone.  

You mentioned the bullying has a negative influence on your mental health which is understandable, and we are concerned to hear this. It can be important to practice self-care in challenging times. Are there any hobbies that you enjoy? Self-care can be as simple as making sure you get enough sleep, getting out for a walk or reading a book or saying positive things to yourself. 

There are some articles on the Childline and Spunout websites that may help you to think about what you would like to see happen to resolve this issue: https://www.childline.ie/what-to-do-if-someone-bullies-you-at-school/ and https://spunout.ie/life/bullying/bullying 

You have done a great job of talking to us today. You do not have to face this alone and if you did ever want to talk to us a bit more about what’s happening for you, we have an online chat service (childline.ie) or a text service (send a text to 50101), where there will always be someone who will listen to you. It is a safe, confidential space, and we will never judge anything you say or tell you what to do. There is also a phone line on 1800 66 66 66. All these services are available 24/7 every day of the year. 

Thanks again for reaching out to us. 

Take care, 

Alex