How To Deal With An Adult Bully? 4 Ways To Outsmart Them

 / 

, ,
How To Deal With An Adult Bully? Four Ways To Stop Them

How to deal with an adult bully? Facing such challenges requires strategic finesse. Explore these effective ways to regain control, confidence, and peace in your life.

Dealing with an adult bully is sometimes harder than people think. Be it at work, home, or online, being in the line of fire of adult bullies is a horrible and mentally traumatizing experience.

When we think of bullying our minds resort to thoughts and images of young children or teens in a schoolyard, but adult bullying is more common than you may think.

According to a survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association found that 31% of Americans have been bullied as an adult, and 40 percent of Americans seeing the brunt of cyber-bullying, according to a survey on the by the Pew Research Center.

Adult bullies use different methods to gain “power”.

Adult bullies may ignore you, then act like theyโ€™re your best friend when the situations serve them well. Theyโ€™re quick to assign blame and point fingers when something goes wrong. And equally quick to claim your good ideas as their own.

They engage in the repeated mistreatment of one or more people through humiliation, intimidation and passive-aggressive sabotage, along with coercion, punishment, belittling, embarrassment, revenge, and threatening behaviors.

How To Deal With An Adult Bully? 4 Ways To Stop Them

1. Safety First 

Never compromise on your safety. It is extremely important to protect yourself both mentally and physically. If the bullying occurs online, do not engage, you’d rather unfriend and block than engage or react in any way. If the bullying occurs at work, speak to your manager or HR.

If you feel you are being bullied in your personal life, seek help, whether it’s paying a visit to your doctor or seeing a psychologist help you devise specific strategies for your situation.

If you believe that you’re in a serious aggressive situation, contact the police. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional, and protect your well-being.

Related: 7 Ways To Deal With Verbally Aggressive People

2. Create Distance 

Not looking for confrontation? Creating distance may be your best bet in dealing with adult bullies. Realize that your time is valuable, and your happiness and well-being are important.

Unless thereโ€™s something critical at stake, donโ€™t expend yourself by trying to grapple with a person whoโ€™s negatively entrenched.

Whether youโ€™re dealing with a road rage driver, a pushy salesperson, a hostile neighbor, an obnoxious relation, or a domineering supervisor, keep a healthy distance and avoid engagement unless you absolutely have to.

3. Ignore It

If you’re not in a position to keep a healthy distance or avoid engagement, then ignore the inappropriate behavior. Bullies are sometimes driven by a sense of power. Like a kid with a new toy, they get a kick out of pushing a button and seeing what happens.

However, if the button does nothing the child will stop playing with the toy. If we give no response to the bullying behavior we are sometimes able to remove the reason or benefit for the bully to continue.

Some suggestions may be:

  • If someone keeps making jokes at your expense, laugh along with them.
  • If someone makes sarcastic, fake compliments, thank them.
  • When someone says something rude, pretend that you didnโ€™t hear them.
  • If someone harps on the same mistake or accident you made, tell them that is now in the past.

Related: The Real Reason Why Highly Sensitive People Get Bullied

4. Don’t React

Bullies thrive on reaction, which is why they display such absurd behaviors.

Dr. Ken Yeager of the Ohio State University explains this and gives useful tips on what to and what not to do: Donโ€™t react to the attack. Bullies live for the reaction.

If you must speak your truth rather, listen carefully, and respond as the voice of reason, identifying the not-well-thought-through aspects of the bullyโ€™s point.

Remember to take care of yourself and know that the adult bully’s behavior is not your fault, so do not blame yourself for it, instead, use smart strategies to overcome it.

So, this is how to handle an adult bully in your life. If you’re going through this, share your thoughts and insights in the comments below!


Written by Ellie Osman
Originally appeared on Untangled Thoughts
How to Deal with An Adult Bully
How to Deal with An Adult Bully
How Deal Adult Bully pin
How To Stop An Adult Bully
dealing with an adult bully

— Share —

— About the Author —

Response

  1. Elbert Jones Avatar
    Elbert Jones

    You could also get a legal restraining order.

Leave a Reply



Up Next

7 Red Flags Of A Future Faking Narcissist: Beyond The Faรงade

Red Flags Of A Future Faking Narcissist: Beyond The Faรงade

Have you interacted with someone who promises you the world, but when the time comes to do good on their promise, they leave you high and dry? Chances are you might be dealing with a future faking narcissist.

Future faking narcissists are charming and diabolical at the same time, and are experts at lying through their teeth. They will paint a picture-perfect image of themselves in front of you and will promise you a beautiful future. However, it’s all smokes and mirrors.

In this article, we are going to talk about the signs of future faking narcissists, so that it’s easier for you to understand when someone is genuinely interested in building a future with you and when someone is simply playing you.



Up Next

Are Your Parents Manipulating You? 4 Warning Signs Of Manipulative Parents And How To Break Freeย 

Signs of Manipulative Parents You Can't Ignore

Have you ever found yourself constantly doubting your own thoughts and feelings, or feeling guilty for asserting your needs? Does it have anything to do with your parentsโ€™ words or behaviors? If so, it may be important to identify the signs of manipulative parents.

Some toxic parents can be masterminds of manipulation, who know all the tricks to keep you under their thumb. They can easily disguise their behavior and create a deep negative impact on their children’s emotional well-being and development. 

Being aware of manipulative parents, recognizing the things they say, and knowing the signs are essential steps towards breaking free from their influence.

Understanding Manipulative Parents



Up Next

How To Deal With Verbal Harassment In The Workplace? 10 Effective Coping Mechanisms

How To Deal With Verbal Harassment? Best Coping Mechanisms

Imagine you’re at work, minding your own business, when all of the sudden, you find yourself in a tough spot. Your coworker, well, let’s call him Mr. Insensitive, starts hurling hurtful comments at you like they’re going for the gold medal in a stand-up comedy gig. So, how to deal with verbal harassment?

Dealing with verbal harassment in the workplace is like being trapped in a never-ending loop of awkwardness and frustration. But don’t worry, because together we’re going to look at how to deal with verbal harassment, because ain’t nobody got time for that nonsense.

Before we get down to understanding strategies regarding how to handle verbal harassment in the workplace, let’s find out what is verbal harassment and some verbal harassment examples.



Up Next

How To Deal With An Obsessive Ex That Won’t Leave You Alone: 5 Steps You Can Take

How To Deal With Obsessive Ex: Urgent Steps You Can Take

Dealing with an obsessive ex is one of the most horrible experiences one can go through. What are the best ways to handle obsessive people? What are the effective steps you can take when it comes to dealing with an obsessive ex? Let’s find out!

There are certain people who just canโ€™t handle being dumped. They go crazy. They hate losing their โ€œcontrolโ€ and โ€œpowerโ€ over their partners.

Recently my good friend ended an abusive relationship. Thankfully he realised he was in a relationship with a narcissist and that his only way forward was without her. Soon after the relationship ended, he found a new partner โ€” he was ecstatic, he was just about to ride off into the sunset with his sweetheart.

There was one issue โ€” his e



Up Next

7 Signs Someone Is Projecting Onto You: Are You Bearing Someone Else’s Burden?

Signs Someone Is Projecting Their Emotional Baggage On You

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and it felt like they were accusing you of things that didn’t seem like you? It’s as if they’re dumping their own issues on you, leaving you scratching your head, wondering what is happening. Well, this is just one of the many signs someone is projecting their emotional baggage on you.

You’re gradually realizing that you are being blamed for things that’re not your fault at all. You are being accused to be the kind of person you are not. It’s as though they’re running their private movie theater, and you’ve become their projection screen.

But before we get int



Up Next

Dog Whistling Narcissist: 8 Ways Narcissists Use This Covert Manipulation Tactic

Dog Whistling Narcissist: Covert Ways They Manipulate You

Have you ever had the feeling that when you are talking to someone, there’s a hidden message they’re trying to get across to you? A message that feels insulting, condescending and hurtful? If you answered yes, then you are dealing with a dog whistling narcissist, my friend.

These people are experts at sending subtle messages that are extremely hurtful and humiliating, but only you understand it, not anyone else. When a narcissist uses dog whistling, their main motive is to manipulate you and keep you under their control. They’ll use it to dominate you, and put you down, while pretending to be harmless.

But what is dog whistling, and how narcissists use dog whistling? Let’s find out, shall we?



Up Next

8 Powerful Phrases To Shut Down Gaslighting With Confidence

Powerful Phrases To Shut Down Gaslighting With Confidence

Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you felt like everything you are saying or feeling is being dismissed and invalidated, even though you know you’re right? If you answered yes, then you were subjected to gaslighting. If you have experienced this, then remember these 8 phrases to shut down gaslighting like a boss.

When someone makes you question your reality, it can feel extremely frustrating and depressing. Weโ€™ve all been there at some point. These little digs can make you feel like youโ€™re on thin ice, be it from a friend, family member or that one co-worker.

But hey, you’ve come to the