A perfect student
Before I begin talking about Bullying, Let me give a bit of a background. I was always a studious student. The type who finished all the assignments before due dates and excelled in the examinations. My parents and family adored me. All my faculty too praised me throughout all my achievements. My parents however always wanted me to study in boarding school as they wanted me to incur good habits and become independent. I wasn’t willing to leave my former school but had to because of my parent’s will.
Into boarding school
I was 15 years old when I left for boarding school. I was a bit anxious about staying on my own but was optimistic about the experience. Few days passed by and I got accustomed to the learning environment of the school. It was a boys boarding school, which had a strict faculty that maintained proper discipline. All of us used to get up at 5 in the morning. A usual day used to end at 4 in the noon. Academics was my forte and I excelled in my first term in this school too.
Experiencing change before the Trauma
Months passed by and the time came up for the summer term. I had prepped well for it and was excited to go back home on holiday. By this time all the boys in my class knew that I was good at studying. Ashish sat behind me during the exams. He was a brat and it was a task for him to pass his exam. As the exam started, he poked from behind and urged me to give him answers to the questions. I denied helping him. He however did not stop interrupting and so I complained about him to our master. He was punished in front of the entire class and ended up failing.
First hand experience of bullying
Ashish did not take this well at all. He blamed me for his failure and started messing with me throughout. He bullied me with his friends and made my life miserable. I found it very difficult to live in the hostel due to his actions. Ashish and his friends tortured me in different ways. Neither did they let me study nor sleep. As a result, I ended up performing miserably at school. Getting bullied each day is a traumatizing feeling. I was left to cry for hours and nobody helped me. I always heard bullying stories but experiencing it made me very weak.
Living the trauma
A month passed by and Ashish did not stop. It was the holiday season. All of us went back home. It was a relief to be back home but the constant bullying had left me in a miserable state. I used to be quiet throughout and did not talk about anything. My parents knew something was wrong. They decided to have a discussion with me. I refused to speak up as I was scared. In a few days, our results were declared. My parents were shocked when they saw my marks. However, my marks were proof that something was definitely not right in school.
The after effect
My parents did everything possible for me to speak up but I did not. Seeing me in this state, they knew that I needed help from outside. My parents thus decided to take me to a counsellor. Z-Edge appeared to be one of the leading counselling institutes in Nagpur and so they booked an appointment for me at the centre.
Introduction to counseling
Upon hearing the concern of my parents itself, Renu ma’am knew that it was a case of bullying. Post a few sessions together, Renu ma’am asked for some solo sessions with me. It was hard for me to speak up about what happened as it seemed like revisiting the trauma. However, Renu ma’am was very patient with me and assured a positive change. She asked me just the right questions. Given her assurance, I could answer her questions. Speaking about what happened felt liberating. It was shedding the burden of my heart.
Releasing the emotions
I remember crying my heart out when I finally told her everything that happened in the span of the last 3 months. Once I revealed everything to Renu ma’am, she made me understand the need of speaking everything in front of my parents. It was because of her that I could speak my heart out. My parents were shocked. However, I received all the comfort that I needed.
Positive change
Thanks to Renu ma’am, today I have surpassed all my fears. Given my past experience, my parents got me admitted to a different school. Here I am performing well and very happy with the environment. The past of bullying no more haunts me and for that, I thank Renu ma’am. Not only did she helped me overcome the trauma but also gave me guidance of how to deal with such situations in the future. Both my parents and I are grateful for what she did for us.
