My school days weren’t easy and I’m sure they weren’t for you either. I didn’t even know that I am highly sensitive back then. So, to raise awareness to what bullying can do to a highly sensitive person, I’m sharing my story.
A little girl is starting school for the first time in her life. The first years of her school life she spends being jealous of her friend who has all the different arts and crafts supplies she wants. She craves to be able to do art too.
Finally, her mother brings the girl to an art class. She exceeds all her expectations and falls in love with the creative process.
In secondary school the girl gets to start education in a local Art School. She loves the elegant and gentle process of silk dying. She enjoys the relaxing mid-winter still art sessions. Oh, and the pottery classes are just so much fun!
But the sweet joy from beloved Art School always carries a slight tint to it. Something that only a highly sensitive child won’t be able to tolerate. And that is the attitude of fellow classmates.
All other kids are too energetic, never can calm down and finish their projects on time. A lot of the time their running and laughing is so irritating, the girl needs to leave to another classroom.
The girl is very friendly and very strong. She tries to make friends with other children. But one day, these kids decide to play an innocent joke on her. They write her name on every table of the classroom and come to the teacher to blame the girl for doing that.
The teacher of course doesn’t believe them. From anger or jealousy, these kids meet the girl outside the classroom one late afternoon. The school is usually empty in that time – apart from their teacher and a guard, there is no one.
The leader of their group, steps towards the girl and starts to create a conflict [ I don’t remember what the talk was about]. It ends up with those kids scratching the girls hands with their nails!
Discouraged, the girl doesn’t return to the Art School again. She never graduates it and has to opt out into the Business School instead.
And that is only one of the times when I was bullied in school. Unfortunately, because of bullying I fell into patterns of people pleasing to stop it. Now, I have to learn assertiveness as a skill I couldn’t grasp on in my school days.
Educational institutions and their students should understand personality trait of Highly Sensitive Person.
I think school’s anti-bulling campaigns would benefit from making sure that kids understand that as much as there is racial or cultural diversity, there is also a great diversity in personalities of each other which should be treated with respect.
Life Is Acid And Sweet 
5 replies on “My Story: Experiencing Bullying as an HSP”
In our state they are considering a law that would fine parents of children who bully. I think there might be something to it. In my experience children who bully often have parents who are bullies. Those behaviors are learned somewhere, and as parents we need to make sure that our children know that kind of behavior won’t be tolerated. Many parents take a lassaiz faire attitude towards bullying…kids will be kids… but it’s really important for children to learn both at home and in social situations what behavior is acceptable. I’m sorry you had to endure this. Hang in there and keep fighting the good fight.
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Thank you for your comment, it is very true. And thank you for the kind words 🙂
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This reminds me of what happened to me in school and I’ve got to tell you! You’re so on point with your post! I had a love of music and writing stories during school. I also loved to sing and could sing. And most people would ask me to sing for them. With that and the fact that I’d been an Army brat and had recently moved to the small town after my father left the military, I was ripe for bullying. From there, I was bullied for six long years during school. It had a huge impact on my confidence and outlook on humanity. It got so bad I attempted to take my own life when I was 14 and almost didn’t make it. The bullying didn’t stop until I switched schools during my senior year. Only then did it get better. But I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage from those terrible years and didn’t show it at my new school.
I’m happy to say that everything worked out in the end. I’m now a very happy and confident woman. I have true friends now, that love me for me. I travel with them sometimes! And we have such fun together on our girls’ trips!
I’m now a wife, mother, anti-bullying blogger, and author of 4 published books. My message to bullied people is that they’re not alone and they have value no matter how others may treat them. I also want to tell them that life does get better! Much better! Thank you so much for bringing to light an issue that’s still not addressed enough!
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There’s something else I meant to add. I want you to know that none of it was your fault and that I admire your bravery in opening up and telling your story! Wishing you much happiness and success!
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Such a powerful post. My heart breaks for anyone who is bullied. I feel their pain because I too was bullied from grade six until I finally switched schools during my senior year. It got so bad that I attempted suicide at age 14 and almost didn’t make it. But luckily I survived the attempt and now, I use what I went through to help those who are bullied today. I believe in turning negatives into positives and if I can help one, just one bullied victim see their worth and go on living, then I know what I endured all those years ago wasn’t in vain. And I get healing and closure from it.
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