Examples of Adult Bullying and Their Consequences

We May Think Of Bullying As Being A Problem Among Children But It Is Rampant Among Adults Too.

Childhood bullying has been the focus of numerous newspaper reports and television advertisements of late, because it has been proven to be one of the leading causes of long term mental health problems as the child ages. Bullying not only creates serious mental health issues – it also often begets more bullying, leading to an endless cycle that can drastically hurt the community.

But childhood bullying is not the only type of bullying – nor is it the only one that has long term consequences. Bullying often continues into adulthood, and many men and women experience some form of adult bullying on a regular basis.

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What Are Some Examples of Adult Bullying?

• Bullying in the Workplace

Bullying is often seen in workplace environments, where men and women are subjected to constant abuse by supervisors and other employees. Sometimes this abuse is designed to give the bully a leg up in the company, while other times it is simply another example of an individual trying to gain power on others. Whatever the cause, bullying in the workplace can lead to a great deal of stress and anxiety, and may lead to long term mental health consequences. If you are being bullied at work you can get more information about the ebook "What Every Target of Workplace Bullying Needs to Know" here.

• Family Bullying

It’s also possible for bullying to occur inside of the family. Sometimes it is a single family member that bullies all other family members. Sometimes it is a spouse that acts as a bully during your personal life. There are even stories of children bullying their parents. Family bullying is just as harmful – possibly more so – than any other type of adult bullying. It doesn’t matter who is bullying you either. Family bullying is not something that should be tolerated.

• Friend Bullying

Not everyone chooses friends that are a good influence on their lives. It’s possible that you depend on someone that treats you poorly, bullying you often and taking advantage of your friendship. If you have a friend that is consistently bossing you around and treating you without respect, they may also be a bully.

The Consequences of Adult Bullying

It’s possible to be bullied by any adult influence on your life, and that bullying can have many of the same effects as childhood bullying. While it is unlikely that you are going to develop behavioral disorders, start committing crimes, or allow that bullying to impact your development, there are still countless potential long term consequences to this type of treatment.

Bullying harms your self-confidence and provides you with stress both mentally and physically. That stress can develop into anxiety and depression. It can also cause you to start bullying those around you, as you take out the frustrations of your anxiety stress on others. It also makes it simply much, much harder to enjoy every aspect of your life, knowing that you are at risk for continued bullying. That alone is enough of a reason to find a way to reduce the bullying on your life, because as an adult your happiness is important.

Getting Help for Adult Bullying

For most adults, the most important treatment you can have for adult bullying is admitting there is a problem. As adults, you are often taught that you need to take the abuse and not confront the problem head on. Often people try their best to ignore the bullying and continue onward with their day, but ignoring that level of bullying is difficult, because the psychological damage is continually grating over time. It has to be a problem you confront head on.

First you will need to prevent the person from bullying you. As an adult, you have the option to make those powerful decisions in a way that children often can’t. Even if the bully is in your family, you need to make sure that you address the problem, and if possible  report them to others that can take any necessary action.

Second, you will need to find ways to de-stress and relax so that the bullying doesn’t have any lasting effects. This can be relaxation exercises, herbal supplements, or some other method of reducing your overall tension and helping your mind and body learn to cope.

Finally, you need to be willing to seek help. Take advantage of any talk therapy/counseling, spend time with those you care about and surround yourself with people that are only positive influences on your life. Changes will need to be made, but once you’ve made those changes you’ll find yourself in a much better place.

Adult Bullying

Adult bullying is a serious problem, one that leads to anxiety, stress, and depression, even in adults. It’s easy to pass it off as just the stuff of youth, but there are many adult bullies, and if they are hurting your psychological health, you need to take action. Bullies are still bullies at any age, and you shouldn’t sacrifice your quality of life because they have to act out negatively towards you.