Do not give the bully ammunition by declaring your weaknesses

Bullies thrive on the weaknesses of others. They have a distorted idea that if others feel powerless, it will make them powerful. Do not give them ammunition. Try not to talk next to them about your weaknesses, because they are like hawks in search of prey. Do not declare your weaknesses next to someone who is a bully. It is easy. If you need to share a failure, disappointment or weakness with someone, find someone you trust. Bullies have already proven they cannot be trusted, so do not check it over and over again.

Stop justifying on behalf of the bully

Finding the bully's bully is important, but focusing on why the bully does what he does is not necessary, because the truth is you do not really know and you might end up accepting the bullying behavior. If you know that your dad was bullied, you can understand why he felt powerless, but using expressions like "My dad was abusive because his dad used to belt him" assumes that he has no choice in the matter and cannot stop himself. Do not excuse the bully. Bear in mind that bullying is wrong even when there is a "because" attached to it. Your bully always, always, always has the option of not continuing the cycle. Same as you.