Sometimes, confrontation and/or heated arguments are needed in life. If we are inclined to avoid such things, we are easy pray for bullies. Although, on the other hand, sometimes bullies thrive on the drama they create when people try to stand up to them. I think the trick is to stand up to them in a way that does not feed the drama but enables you to solidly defend your personal boundaries. At some point, you have to make a conscious decision about what behaviour you consider unnacceptable, and then refuse to allow others to behave in this way towards you. I say this as someone who has realised this quite late in life, who was bullied a lot when I was younger.