Rough Draft About Bullying

Rough Draft
Laughter echoed through the room as I stood there with all eyes on me. Little did I know the cute football player standing before me had just been paid to dance with me. My heart sank as I realized that all my classmates were apart of the joke. I could not help but think, “Why did no one stick up for me?”, “Where are the people who are supposed to be in charge?” I didn’t understand how people could be so mean. My first homecoming dance just became my last. Statistics show that one in four kids feel the same way that I felt that night.
Bullying is an issue that not only harms you physically but also mentally. “Bullied children are more likely than their non-bullied peers to report feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

Researchers have recognized that depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem may be both consequences of and precursors to bullying. Thus, children who are bullied may be more likely than others to develop problems with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. In other cases, these symptoms may signal to others that a child may be an “easy target””(R.M Kawalski and S.P Limber).
I personally suffer from low self-esteem. My whole life I have struggled with my weight. Bullies would follow me around school calling me “fat” and “disgusting”. I thought it would go away so I never reported it, when it did not stop I blamed myself. I thought what they were saying was true and it was all my fault. In my mind I was giving them a reason to make fun of me. I developed a very severe eating disorder because I thought if I lost all the weight then they would not have anything to tease me about.
For a while I used damaging techniques to lessen my pain. When I came to the realization that not only were these techniques harming me but they also started to affect my family. I decided to immediately change my life. The only way I could do that was to get away from all the negative things in my life and do things that made me happy. I did the hardest thing I have ever had to do and left my childhood home to start my senior year in a new city with my aunt. Leaving my parents and sisters behind was extremely hard but it was the only way to rid my life of the negativity and focus on the future. Moving to a new school my last year of high school was very difficult, but it was also the best thing I have ever done. Not once have I been bullied or insulted, I have an amazing friend group who helps me every step of the way. Which is something I have never in my life experienced and I could not be more grateful for this opportunity to start over and be happy.
My life has been full of ups and downs, but everyday I find strength through the support of my friends and family. Although some days I still struggle, I will not let bullying define me. I honestly do not believe I would be where I am today if it was not for the love and encouragement I have received from my family and friends. My goal is to make a difference in others lives the way my family has made a difference in mine. I strive to be able to help people in the future who have felt as hopeless as I once felt.