Principles give you purpose in every situation, and today's principle is: Less is more. Bullies always want more. More attention, more power, more conflict, more drama from you will build the social capital and status they want. When you put energy, time and focus into them, they get more bully food. Giving them less not only diminishes what they get, it also lessens their importance in your mind. The kids who aren't getting bullied by the bully, put very little energy into them. Those are the kids to copy. Less is more means LESS for them is MORE for you. Here's the steps to enacting this principle: 1-Make less of an effort for those who are inconsiderate, unkind or negative. 2-Open your mind to the fun of this principle. It's fun to deprive the bully of their negative pattern. Enjoy withholding the bully food. 3-Imagine scenarios where you back off, saying less and less, caring less and less perhaps flat out saying, "I don't care," and meaning it. 4-Less doesn't mean nothing. It means the least amount possible. Doing nothing is viewed as giving up. Doing the least amount will suck the life out of the interaction, and shows you don't care about them. 5-REPEAT: When they push back, simply do the same thing again. One small thing even if you do it imperfectly will do the trick. You'll deal with the bully will little effort, so there's plenty left over for yourself and the great people around you. Challenge the bully's behavior by cutting them off from your attention. It's good for you, and it's good for them too.
Disclaimer: Keep in mind I am a teacher, not a therapist nor healthcare provider. It's my pleasure to provide lessons here to teach young people about the pattern of bullying and successful ways to approach it. I ask all young listeners to reach out to trusted adults and parents before implementing the lessons in their personal lives. This content is not meant to replace advice from a therapist or provider. Listening and learning here is your choice, as is any decision you make to act on what you learn. I do not know all of you personally, so I cannot provide personalized instruction during the episodes. However, I'm here to help and support you, and I want the best for you.
