Overcoming Bullying after Brain Injury

Bullying can be a challenge for anyone. Individuals living with brain injuries may have a difficult time recognizing bullies. Individuals living with brain injuries may question their own judgment. Individuals living with brain injuries may have a difficult time trusting. Because individuals living with brain injuries may have difficulty trusting themselves. Individuals living with brain injuries may have difficult time trusting their judgment. Individuals living with brain injuries may as a result become more vulnerable to being bullied.

In my experience I bought into the notion that I deserved to be bullied for many years. I bought into this belief because I believed that I did not just make mistakes, but that I was a mistake. My low self-esteem and poor self-worth left me vulnerable to being bullied. Following my brain injury at the age of 10, my self-esteem, self-worth and self-value continued to be undermined. Undermined by being blamed for what was invisible and out of my ability to control. Blamed for what I did not understood, nor knew how to change.

Bullies can be found everywhere. Bullies on the playground. Bullies in academic settings and with in organizations. Bullies with in associations. Bullies with in churches. Hurt people, hurt people.
Bullying can occur in physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual ways. Bullying is not about us. It is about the bully. We are not at fault or responsible. The good news is that we can stop the process of being bullied. We no longer have to be bullied. We can stand up for ourselves.

My low-self esteem, low self-worth, coupled with the impact of the injury to my brain added to my vulnerability. The impact of my brain injury and the invisible nature of my disability made it difficult to trust myself. I also found that I had a difficult time trusting my judgment. In response, I was led to believe that I needed to trade my judgment for the judgment of other people. Trading my judgment for other people’s judgment continued to make me vulnerable.

But thank God I did not remain vulnerable. Instead I grew in my recovery process. In response I grew in my ability to trust myself and trustworthy people. In response my self-esteem grew, as well as my feelings of self-worth and value. In the process, I began to trust my judgment instead of defaulting to other people’s judgment.

In this category of articles I share what helped me to stop believing that I was a mistake. I share what helped me to grow in self-esteem and feelings of self-worth and value. I share what helped me to start trusting myself and my judgment. I share what helped me to recognize bullies and bullying behavior. Bullying behavior in individuals and groups of individuals. I share what helped me to set limits, boundaries and what helps me to stand up to bullies.

The good news is that we do not deserve to be bullied. The good news is that our self-esteem and feelings of self-worth and value can improve. Living with the impact of a brain injury and an invisible disability no longer has to leave us vulnerable to being bullied. We can stand up for ourselves. We can take care of ourselves in the face of bullies.