How to Deal With Being Teased

Some teasing is harmless while other teasing is much more difficult to cope with.

Everyone has been the victim of teasing at some point in their lives, whether it was a harmless comment from a friend or constant bullying from someone at school. When you are teased relentlessly it has a much bigger impact than a few comments here and there. Learning how to deal with being teased is important because it will help you cope with the negative feelings teasing can create and help make a more positive learning or working environment for yourself.

Instructions

1. Ignore what is being said when someone tries to tease you. Many people tease others to try to get a rise out of them --- don't give in to them by having an outburst. Instead, calmly ignore their hurtful comments by pretending you didn't hear them. Eventually, the person will stop teasing you.

2. Inform the person that what they are saying is not acceptable and let them know how it makes you feel. Tell them exactly what they do and how it makes you feel. Sometimes people tease as a means of being funny --- they don't actually want to hurt you. Letting someone know how you feel will help her learn to think before she speaks.

3. Learn how to rephrase the teasing into something more positive. One of the best ways of coping with negative teasing is to learn how to rephrase bad comments into good comments. For example, if someone teases you because you are a "nerd," rephrase the comment in your mind to say, "I am intelligent and get good grades."

4. Respond with kindness or use humor to diffuse the situation. If you don't take the comment seriously and respond with kindness, the person teasing you will feel guilty about his negative words. Likewise, using humor will re-direct the teasing and make it look like you are a good sport. Since most teasing is done in fun, learning how to take it lightly can help you cope.

5. Ask an authority figure to help you deal with the teasing. If teasing has gotten to a point where you can't cope anymore, it is time to seek help from a teacher, family member or co-worker who can help resolve the problem.

References

• Kids Growth: Helping Children Deal with Teasing
• Nickelodeon Parents Connect: Helping Your Child Cope With Teasing