My Story: I Was Bullied at School… and I Thought It Was Normal

I don’t really know where to start.
But I need to put this somewhere.
Maybe for me. Maybe for someone else.
I just want to tell what I went through — exactly how I felt it.

When I was in school, I was bullied.
And for a long time, I didn’t even dare call it that.
I kept telling myself it was just teasing. That I had to "deal with it." That it was normal.
But no. It wasn’t normal.
It was cruel.

It started slowly.
Comments about how I talked, how I dressed, how I looked.
Whispers and laughter whenever I raised my hand.
At first, I pretended not to notice.
I thought it would stop.

But it never did.
It got worse.
Meaner.
Heavier.

I went to school with a knot in my stomach.
I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to stand out.
I kept thinking, "If I stay quiet and invisible, maybe they’ll leave me alone."
But they never did.

They always found something new to mock, to laugh at, to invent.

And the worst part?
I said nothing.
To anyone.
Not to teachers. Not to my parents. Not to my friends.
I was afraid they’d say I was exaggerating.
That I was "too sensitive."

So I kept it all inside.

I remember coming home and locking myself in my room.
Crying silently.
Looking at myself in the mirror and wondering what was wrong with me.
Why me?
What did I do to deserve this?

And the truth is…
Over time, I started to believe it was my fault.
That I really was weird.
Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. Not interesting enough.

That bullying followed me way longer than I want to admit.
Even now, there are moments when I hear their voices in my head.
That little voice that says I’m not good enough.
Not enough, period.

But today, I refuse to stay silent.
Because I know I’m not alone.
And because stories like mine shouldn’t be kept quiet.

If you’re reading this — if you’ve gone through something similar or you’re going through it now —
Let me say this:
It’s not your fault.
And you deserve to be heard.

It took me years to talk about it.
But now, I want to turn my pain into something that can help.
Even if it’s just a post.
Even if it’s just a voice in the noise.
It’s my voice. And it matters.