Middle school, like with most kids, was not that enjoyable for me. I was teased because of the size of my body. There were a few people that would constantly bully me.
The most typical place that I would be teased was during gym class. I was teased either in the locker room, or when I was unable to perform the same tasks as the other kids. My endurance was lower than theirs.
Whenever this happened, it made me angry that people couldn’t keep their thoughts to themselves and they felt they had to share them with others. They probably weren’t perfect in every way either, so why should they feel they had the right to criticize anyone? They didn’t; they shouldn’t.
Not everyone is perfect at everything they do, and everyone has some areas where they excel and others where they are not as good. I may not have exceled in gym class, but what did I care. I had something else that I loved about myself: my mind.
I knew these kids; I had other classes with them. I knew that they were not the best at certain things, as I was not the best in gym. They were able to outperform me in gym, but I could run laps around them in math and science.
Although it was difficult to have been bullied, it helped make me a better, smarter person. Being bullied taught me that I did not need to listen to others but that I did needed to listen to myself. I was good at different things- everyone has their own specialties. I took that negativity and learned from it, learned to love other things about myself.
Once I was able to look at the things I love about me, it allowed me to see my body in a different way. I no longer cared how people viewed my body because I was ok with it, and I came to like who I was. I no longer felt the pressure from others to change. There was no need to change. I like how I am and that’s all that matters.
Since then, I have not let others’ comments affect me. I have learned to shrug them off. I hope that my story can inspire others who have been bullied to accept yourself for who you are and learn to love yourself.