mean girls: healing from and overcoming the hidden harms of female bullying

In this episode, we're diving into the covert and damaging world of 'mean girl' behavior, exploring its impact from high school to the workplace. Discover what this very specific form of nonphysical bullying entails—such as exclusion, rumors, and cyberbullying—and how these subtle yet devastating actions can shape our lives. Drawing from a meticulous academic study, we'll translate dense psychological theories into relatable insights, shedding light on why and how this form of bullying occurs, with a focus on motivations rooted in social hierarchy, jealousy, and the pressure to conform.We'll also uncover why bullying differs between genders and why it is particularly insidious among young women. We explore the short-term effects on school performance and self-esteem, and discuss the long-lasting scars—emotional, physical, and psychological. This episode not only highlights the differences in how bullying impacts young women compared to their male counterparts but also prompts a critical self-reflection: Have we, too, participated in mean girl behavior, perhaps as a defense mechanism to avoid becoming victims ourselves? You’ll learn why women are so mean to other women, how you can spot and effectively handle mean girl dynamics, and I’ll provide strategies to manage these challenging interactions. We'll discuss ways to move forward and break free from the cycle of bullying in adulthood, as it’s nearly a guarantee that we’ll continue encountering mean girls throughout our lives and be tempted to fall into those patterns ourselves. So get ready to uncover how to recognize, understand, and overcome the mean girl phenomenon. Whether you've faced mean girl behavior yourself or know someone who has, this episode will equip you with the knowledge and tools to combat relational aggression and reclaim your self-worth. Let's explore together how we can break free from the mean girl cycle and support a generation of women to do the same.Craving more? Become a Premium Submarine. Join an exclusive community and unlock hundreds of hours of members-only content: full-length episodes, deep-dive series, guided meditations, and more—all for the cost of a couple of coffees a month. Start exploring at backfromtheborderline.com.The information contained in this podcast episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment or consultation with a licensed mental health professional. acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

I don’t want to talk to your personality; I want to talk to your soul. Imagine if your most painful and debilitating mental health symptoms and self-sabotaging behaviors aren’t evidence of 'disorder' or 'dysfunction', but adaptive strategies that once kept you safe. My goal is to help you shift from asking ‘What’s wrong with me?’ to ‘What happened to me?’The word ‘borderline’ in this podcast isn’t about psychiatric labels. It’s about coming back from the inner psychological brink we all experience. Everyone has found themselves on the edge, in that liminal space where the old self falls apart and the new Self emerges. Here, we explore what it means to undergo true emotional alchemy: that ancient and primordial process of falling apart, confronting the underworld of our psyche, and falling back together into someone stronger, wiser, and more whole.Many highly sensitive people who identify with the seemingly never-ending list of diagnostic mental health labels contained within ‘the bible of psychiatry’ (the DSM) share the same underlying sense of being irreparably broken, disconnected from their intuition, and paralyzed by life’s existential questions. I believe the resulting—and perfectly understandable—chronic feelings of emptiness and spiritual starvation are the TRUE causes of our current collective ‘mental health crisis.’ Together, we’ll dive into depth psychology, mythology, human consciousness, critical psychiatry, and the impact of trauma to help you begin the process of emotional alchemy. This exploration will help you get to the root cause of your suffering and free yourself from the toxic shame, limiting beliefs, and mental programming that have kept you locked in the chains of your past.In an era where mental health and spirituality are too often commercialized, I’m not here as a guru with a quick fix to sell you. I don’t believe anyone is ever truly ‘healed’ or ‘cured.’ There is no return to some mythical state of pre-trauma purity, but rather a continuous spiral of unbecoming, unlearning, and transformation. As a fellow seeker, I will be there in your ear, walking alongside you on your path toward wholeness as a sort of parasocial big sister. That, I can promise. By integrating the concepts we explore together, you’ll begin to see that anyone—even you—can come back from the borderline.CRAVING MORE? Visit backfromtheborderline.com to dive into my universe, connect with me, access my Patreon, and discover more about my journey and work. Don’t forget to follow Back from the Borderline so new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays automatically drop into your podcast feed. acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.