7 tips to curb online bullying

Article was written by therapist, Katie Morton

Unfortunately, we cannot do anything to make ourselves bully proof.

But there are some things we can do to lessen its impact and even make it less likely to happen. Here are my 7 tips on how to deal with bullying and hate online. Also, remember that bullying or spouting hate in any manner says more about the person doing the bullying than it does about you.
1. Dont pet it! This is my personal favorite because it works best. This really just means that we dont want to say anything back or interact with them at all because we dont know what we are going to get. By simply ignoring them and not giving them anything else to pick on us about, hopefully, they will move on and stop harassing us.
2. Outsmart them! This can be tricky, but when done right it can really work. Coming up with confusing responses or a witty comeback can often put bullies off of their game. I used to even respond to bullies in other languages just to make them confused and move on.
3. Block them! We have so many tools to block unwanted people online. You can mute them on Twitter, block them on Facebook and Instagram, you name the platform they can be blocked on it. Looking through your settings and even googling the ways to block a person can help you keep them at bay.
4. Tell someone about it. I know its hard and we can feel a bit silly or too upset to reach out, but tell someone! It helps so much to talk with someone about it and get support. Trust me, you are not the only person who has been bullied, and I am sure they will understand and be supportive of you.
5. Keep records. I know this may sound odd, but if they try to physically harm you or if they threaten you in anyway online, you are going to want all records of your conversations. This makes filing complaints or making them pay for what they did that much easier to do and prove.
6. Spend time with loving family and friends. When we are online a lot and getting told nasty things day after day its important that we take the time to put some positivity into our lives. Make time for loving and supportive people so you are reminded that you do have people in your life who care and are loving.
7. Do some positive self-talk! Even if we dont want to, we often remember the nasty things people say much more than we remember the nice or caring things. If someone is saying mean things to us online we are going to have to take some time to talk back to those things and instead say nice things to ourselves. Give it a try! Start with 5 positive things each day and build from there.