4 Tips for Overcoming Bullying with Brittany O'Grady

We had a special guest, actress Brittany O’ Grady, recently join us on Better Together.  She discussed her experience working in the entertainment industry. There were moments during our time when Brittany got vulnerable about her struggles growing up in the limelight. She shared with us how being bullied when she was younger affected her self-worth and how she grew from it. Brittany said from her experience, she was able to learn these four tips for overcoming bullying and hopes they help anyone dealing with similar experiences.

Brittany O’ Grady’s 4 Tips for Overcoming Bullying

1) How they treat you is not your fault

When Brittany was mistreated by others, whether they were her age or adults she worked with, she would blame herself. She thought it was her responsibility to make others happy. This mindset took a toll on her mental health. She was devoted to people pleasing and making sure other people’s feelings were accounted for. However, she later realized that toxic people often have a low perception of themselves. To cope with that, they take it out on others to make themselves feel better.  Once she had that epiphany she was freed from the opinions of others and learned to not let people's ignorance get the best of her.

2) Know your worth

Learning this lesson has taken time and, to this day, Brittany is still learning how to master this skill. Growing up in the entertainment industry, she thought she had to tolerate certain situations because it was “part of the job” or she would lose opportunities. This belief system was rooted in her childhood. When she would take acting classes, the teachers would tell her “if you want to work, do as you're told and never question the adults.” She carried this belief system into her adulthood and later learned that she didn’t deserve to be mistreated. But she had to recognize her self-worth before reaching that point, which can be a challenge in the entertainment industry

3) Don’t wait for an apology

Brittany said she was always wrapped up in waiting for others to apologize to her or recognize that they wronged her in order to heal. She later realized that it’s not their responsibility to heal her, but instead, she had to be willing to move forward and take those steps to healing on her own. Waiting on others would be a waste of time because if they treated her wrong in the first place, why would they care about her healing at all?

4) Practice letting go

Brittany admits that learning how to let go is one of her biggest hurdles in her journey. She admits that her ego and pride are to blame. Without letting go, all she’s doing is drinking poison by not moving forward. Brittany says that as she learns to love and value herself more, it's becoming easier to let go of people and situations that don’t serve her. Attending therapy and surrounding herself with healthy relationships has helped her learn how to let go more easily.  Brittany says with time she hopes she can master this but for now it’s all about taking baby steps.Applying Brittany’s four tips for overcoming bullies could help others find their self-worth and overcome similar hardships. If you’re interested in learning more about our interview with Brittany, check out our podcast episode below!

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Click here to listen to our full episode with Brittany O’ Grady! 

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