Cyber Bullying

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 Hello everyone and welcome back!

I had authored a post titled Social Media Is Bad For Your Mental Health! which led me to ponder over one of the most common ill effects of it - the effect of Cyber Bullying on our mental health.

A lot of us are probably well acquainted with the term "Cyber Bullying"; but for some who aren't, here's a basic overview of it:

What is Cyber Bullying?

 When you google this term, the first sentence that pops up reads, "The use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature." In simpler words, a person (mostly adolescents) is bullied, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, or targeted in some way by another person. It is similar to real life physical bullying except it is done by both known as well as unknown people on the internet. They tend to name call, troll and threaten the other person. 

This brings us to the next, and the most important part of this post,

What are the effects of Cyber Bullying on a person's mental health?

They are innumerable; and because it may be done by an unknown person or a catfish, most times its hard to distinguish and leads us to actually believe what the bully is saying is actually true.

It can GREATLY reduce self- esteem. Confidence levels and decision-making abilities are hampered due to the trauma and scare, as the brain’s defense mechanism kicks in and makes one doubt their own abilities. 
Furthermore, it may lead to various kinds of anxieties and heightened levels of terror and fright, which 100% will affects their daily life as well and comes out in the form of isolation or "acting out".
It may also harm their academic and social life as well.

Cyber bullying is closely linked to disruptions in sleep cycles and food consumption as well.

What do you do if you are being cyber bullied?

I know it may sound clichéd, but telling an adult or a trusted friend or guardian works best.
Moreover, BLOCK THE ACCOUNT.
It's your choice if you choose to report them or share on your social media's about them and spread awareness but put yourself first in the situation, take action the second you notice it occurring, and cut them off. 
Also, there are many online resources you can find which will help you take action against them.
My recommendation would not be to go full legal in the first go, however, if you see it increasing, you should ideally take some action, under an adult's presence.

The cases of Cyber Bullying has seen a steep rise over the past few years and it is important that we as a society recognize and take measures to overcome it. 
Check out my post on Bullying in real life: Here!

That was it for today's post! Hope y'all enjoyed reading it and found it informative! 
Don't forget to drop your thoughts in the comments below and share, follow and subscribe for more <3

Signing off,
Kuhu :)

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