What does it feel like to be bullied?

 It feels terrible to be bullied. Bullying hurts your health, hurts your career, your life, your family, your self-esteem. Here are some examples taken from my work with bully issues of what it feels like to be bullied. See if these coincide with your feelings.  

• You wake up in the morning feeling sick to your stomach with fear and anxiety
• You wake up in the middle of the night reliving your workday wondering what you might have done wrong and ‘what’s next’
• You can’t fall asleep without medicine or drugs because you’re so upset about work
• You feel like you’re failing but you’re so confused about your work and your duties that you don’t know what to do to help your situation
• Your afraid when the bully calls you in to the office because he/she yells at you for things you did or didn’t do that you don’t even understand
• Your humiliated when the bully yells at you in front of others, maybe calling you names, berating you for your work ethic, and making impossible demands on your time and talents
• You make contributions at team meetings and then feel embarrassed when the bully attacks your ideas
• You are afraid to make contributions because you know the bully will steel them and make them his own
• The idea of speaking up or confronting the bully is enough to make you sweat, or throw up, or burst into tears
• You cannot relax at work because you don’t know what you might do or stay that will set off the bully
• If you do relax and then the bully strikes you’re furious with yourself for failing to protect yourself
• You’re overwhelmed and confused because negative rumors are circulating that you know originate from the bully
• You’re afraid to take action against the bully because you fear that you will become the target of retaliation for speaking out
• You fear for your physical safety