I’m Juliana Vitoroullis, I’m twelve years old and this is a note on how you should handle bullying. I once went through bullying and I don’t want others to go through it without knowing what to do. You should always start off by telling an adult, whether it’s a teacher or your parents. You need to alert someone before it gets too far. If you can, you should also try and talk to the person bullying you. Ask them why they’re doing this and if they would like the same thing to happen to them. If they still don’t stop, try walking away from the situation, and don’t let it affect you more than it should.

Also, try spending more time with other people and friends, and those friendships will have your back and overpower the bullying. If you have this person in your contacts, block them. If they start to fight you, whether with words or worse—physically—whatever you do, don't fight back. It's not worth it. This will give them more power and will further anger them. If you are the one who is doing anything that looks like bullying, stop doing it. You are hurting someone. If you are having any dark thoughts because of depression, don’t do what you are thinking. It will hurt you and hurt others and it won't solve the problem.

Always remember that people love you. Talk about what you are feeling with a grownup. They always know what to say and how to help you. You can trust them. Another way you could stop the bullying is to show the bully that they are not affecting you and not worth your time and energy. Bullies always choose victims they think they can gain power from. Don’t fall into it. It’s sad to say, but bullying happens to a lot of people, not just you. The person bullying you might be doing it because they feel insecure about themself. It could be that they think you look better than them, or that there is a quality that you have that they don’t have and that they want. Try walking around with an adult. They won’t bully you in front of them. They will be afraid of the consequences. Try to overpower them not by fighting them but by being the bigger person.

Bullying happens to many people. It's sad but true. There will always be a solution no matter what. So, believe and wish that it will go away. Always keep in mind that the bully won’t always be there and that it will change. It may take some time, but it will happen. People do love you. I might not know you, but I love you too!