It's happened to us all. Silence whenever you walk into a room, whispers behind your back and the feeling as if everyone's sharing a joke that you're not being let in on.
Gossip and rumours may start out as light-hearted, but if left unchecked can soon get serious and cause misery to the person who's being talked about.
Here's what to do if you reckon people are saying stuff about you behind your back.
Ignore it
Turning the other cheek can be hard, but it shows those gossiping about you that you don't care what they say. Most people gossip because they've nothing going on in their lives. Show them how little their opinion matters by getting on with your own life.
Get to the root of
the problem
If you can, try and find out the source of the gossip. Who started it? And why? If you can nip the rumour in the bud at the source, you've got more chance of silencing the gossips.
Make sure people
know the truth
If the rumour mill is working so well in getting false stories about you, get it to work for you too, by making sure that people pass on what's really going on. Get the facts out there as soon as you can and make a positive out of the negative stuff that people are saying.
Deal with the
gossipers face to face
There's something to be said for tackling the issue head on. Without resorting to violence, confront those who are gossiping and challenge them to say what they have to say to your face. If they haven't got the guts to come up with anything, you're coming out of it better.
If they do say what it is, you can either dismiss it as lies, tell them what's really going on, or, better still, tell them to mind their own business. Tell them if they've got anything to say to you, they should come and say it straight at you and not go behind your back.
Don't retaliate
It can be very tempting to spread a few fibs about those that are bitching behind your back, but, as our gran used to say, two wrongs don't make a right. Be a bigger person than them and try and rise above it.
As long as you know what's going on and who you are, don't let a few spiteful people bring you down to their level.
Tell someone
You mustn't forget that whisper campaigns and gossiping are a form of bullying. Nobody should be allowed to bully others and you don't have to let them get away with it. You should approach a teacher if it's happening at school.
Bullying is a crime; if things are getting pretty bad and you've nowhere else to turn, you could always go to the police.
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