I was bullied as a kid, too. I had really terrible buck teeth. I remember wondering if my whole life were going to be that terrible, and thinking maybe the other kids would grow up, or that middle school would mean different, nicer kids. My self defense mechanism was learning how to laugh at myself. I don't really think this was healthy for me then, but it was possibly the healthiest way I COULD deal with it. Now, when I look at that whole time period, I realize that this DID work to some extent. I didn't cry and run away like they expected, and I think that me acting silly and laughing, often took the wind out of their sails without making them more viscious. I must have driven them nuts.

As an adult, I (like quite a few others) had a bully for a boss. I was in a job situation that allowed me to just ride it out, to ignore threats and attempts to intimidate me, but it still (privately) bothered me. Funny, though - it wasn't even close to the sheer hell I went through as a kid.