Recently, someone at school kept touching my back and shoulders, we are of the same sex, i didnt like it and told her to stop. she didnt stop. then on one of the days, she smacked my thigh. we have weekly meetings with each other. i told my friend coz i didnt want to tell my teacher and my friend offered to sit in between us. then, she kinda smacked my friends thigh too and rubbed it. and now, at night i get nightmares of seeing that scene and it happening to me. me and my friend told a teacher coz we are scared and the teacher said we’ll have a conversation with the girl and us together. it feels like the teachers think we are overreacting and they dont exactly believe us?? the teacher ic of our meetings said she never saw anythiing, which makes it feel like she doesnt believe us. i just want my nightmares to kinda stop, they arent bad per say just disturbing. i dont want to tell them abt my nightmares too coz it seems like it’s an overreaction. like it only happened once on my thigh but idk…..never liked physical touch, i only let one close friend hug me, now i dont even let her do it…im scared and need some advice. ty.
When your classmate touched you even when you clearly stated that you did not like it, she overstepped clear boundaries you set.
Understandably you are feeling unsafe, uncomfortable and disrespected. I believe you are still shaken from the unwarranted touching. Therefore the nightmares and your reaction to physical touch now also make sense. Your brain is trying to process something that did not feel right. The fact that it is affecting sleep and how you feel around others clearly shows it has negatively impacted you.
Understandably it can feel invalidating when teachers say they did not see anything. However, your friend and you know for a fact that it happened and bravely surfaced it. You and your friend did the right thing by speaking up, and it’s reasonable to ask to be kept separate from that classmate during meetings so you feel safe.
You don’t have to handle this alone. I recommend you speak to your school counsellor who can journey with you and process the nightmares and how shaken you feel.
For external help, you could also consider calling the counsellors staffing the national mindline at 1771 for support. The hotline operates 24/7 so if you need immediate help, this is an option.
I commend you for standing up to the disrespectful classmate who overstepped boundaries. You fully deserve support to reclaim feeling safe. Do seek help soon.
