11/03/2026
All The Things – Show Recap
Bullying & Mental Health
IPL Radio | Hosted by Jen Jen (with Stephen Giles every second Tuesday)
Last night on “All The Things” on IPL Radio, host Jen Jen, joined by Stephen Giles, led an important discussion about bullying, coercion and the impact these behaviours have on mental health.
The conversation highlighted that bullying is not limited to school environments. It occurs in workplaces, friendships, relationships, families, community groups and online spaces. Many people dismiss bullying as personality clashes, strong personalities or harmless banter, but the show explored how these behaviours can be repeated patterns of intimidation, manipulation or control that cause real harm to a person’s wellbeing.
The Different Types of Bullying
During the show, several different forms of bullying were discussed to help listeners better recognise harmful behaviours.
1. Verbal Bullying
This includes name-calling, insults, mocking, humiliation or constant criticism designed to make someone feel small or embarrassed.
2. Emotional or Psychological Bullying
This type of bullying targets a person’s confidence and emotional wellbeing. It can involve manipulation, intimidation, gaslighting, or deliberately undermining someone’s self-worth.
3. Social Bullying
Often referred to as relational bullying, this involves damaging someone’s reputation or relationships. Examples include spreading rumours, excluding someone from groups, or encouraging others to isolate them.
4. Workplace Bullying
This can occur through constant criticism, unfair workloads, undermining someone’s work, withholding information, or creating a hostile environment that makes someone feel unsafe or unsupported.
5. Cyberbullying
Online harassment through social media, messaging platforms or public posts. This may include harassment, public shaming, threats or spreading harmful information online.
6. Coercive Control
A pattern of behaviour designed to control or dominate another person. This can occur in relationships, families or workplaces and may involve manipulation, intimidation, controlling decisions, or isolating someone from support networks.
Jen Jen spoke about how coercive behaviour can develop slowly, making it difficult for people to recognise until significant emotional damage has already occurred.
The Mental Health Impact
The show explored how ongoing bullying or coercion can significantly affect mental health. Some of the impacts discussed included:
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Depression and emotional exhaustion
• Chronic stress and sleep disruption
• Loss of confidence and self-esteem
• Isolation from friends, colleagues or family
When someone experiences bullying over a long period, it can make them question their judgement and sense of self, which is why recognising these patterns early is so important.
Could You Be a Bully Without Realising?
Another important part of the conversation focused on self-awareness. Sometimes people may engage in bullying behaviour without recognising the effect their actions have on others.
Signs that someone may be displaying bullying behaviour include:
1. Frequently interrupting or talking over others
2. Belittling or dismissing someone’s opinions or feelings
3. Using sarcasm or jokes that embarrass others
4. Spreading rumours or discussing people behind their back
5. Excluding individuals from conversations or social groups
6. Using intimidation or pressure to get their own way
7. Blaming others for problems they helped create
8. Refusing to take responsibility for harmful behaviour
9. Using authority or influence unfairly
10. Minimising someone’s feelings by telling them they are “too sensitive”
Recognising these behaviours is not about blame, but about understanding how actions affect others and making positive changes.
Creating Safer Communities
One of the strongest messages from the show was that communities, workplaces and social environments must actively work toward creating safe and respectful spaces.
This includes:
• Encouraging open conversations about bullying
• Supporting individuals who speak up
• Promoting empathy and emotional awareness
• Holding people accountable for harmful behaviour
Jen Jen emphasised that bullying often continues when people remain silent, but awareness and conversation can help shift culture and create healthier environments for everyone.
Continuing the Conversation
The discussion reinforced that bullying and coercion are not just behavioural issues — they are serious mental health concerns that affect individuals, families and communities.
By bringing these topics into the open, All The Things continues to create a platform where important conversations can take place and awareness can grow.
Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and valued in the spaces they are part of.
Listen to All The Things with Jen Jen every Tuesday night on IPL Radio, with Stephen Giles joining the show every second Tuesday.
