Question by B.J. Nobody
Hey I am in 8th grade and in gym class, I always change into my uniform, boxer briefs, and an athletic cup. But this year I know I will be made fun of. What can I do? Should I change somewhere else? Should I not take off my underwear and not wear boxer briefs?
Life is full of problems and one of the greatest feelings is to learn how to overcome big challenges. This is one of those big problems that take a lot of courage, but if you deal with it, you can overcome it and you’ll feel great about yourself.
Facing your Fears
locker room ready
The answer is simple… you have to continue your life the way you normally live it. That may seem very scary, but believe me you will have to deal with teasing sooner or later, but you might not even get teased so you should never hide. You should never hide from the bullies or they win. Your fear is what they feed on but if you show no fear... they will stop.
If you choose to hide from this problem, you run the risk of losing opportunities. If you hide from changing in front of other kids, you might choose to hide from other embarrassing situations like talking to new kids, trying new things, expressing yourself... you'll miss out on life!
embarrassing situation
By continuing to change into your normal sports uniform and equipment, you will feel proud of accepting the challenge of being teased or not. Your confidence will grow and eventually it won’t bother you.
Beat the Bully
bullies
If the bullies choose to tease you, there are many steps you can take to learn how to make them stop. Here is a quicklist of bully-breaking techniques:
- Acting calm and confident
- Leave with and be positive. Say, “See you later!” or “Have a nice day!”
- NEVER tease back
- Show confidence elsewhere (In PE Class, try to be included in all activities like volunteer to go first)
- Stay close to friends
- If problems get rough, go to a teacher
- Use physical defense as a last resort
