Honestly, I was never really bullied in grade school. Boys teased me here and there, girls were mean at times, but aside from a chick making fun of my lunchbox in third grade, nothing really phased me. There were shows and movies about the whole cyberbullying epidemic, but luckily, I didn't really relate to any of it.

I was basically a floater in high school, so I never really had any conflict with people. I grew up remembering the phrase, "No matter what you do, you won't be able to please everyone." I learned to accept that pretty early on, so I grew a thick skin that eventually helped me brush people off at times.

But boy, I didn't know how much I would need that thick skin until now.

A couple of years ago, I began to fall in love with the fitness industry. Everything about it fascinated me — the competition, the drive, the proactive approach to bettering your health from the inside out, everything. I started my own journey, and a few months down the road I decided that I wanted to share my thoughts with everyone else.

So, I began to create content. This lead to eventually growing a small following on Instagram (I'm still definitely irrelevant compared to many fitness icons, but just bear with me). It was fun, don't get me wrong. I met so many amazing people and learned so much more about the industry and about myself.

However, sometimes what goes up must come down.

The more that people viewed my profile, the more people wanted to hate me. It's disheartening, really. In an online network that seemed so great at first, there are still a select few who have the nerve to say horrible things behind a screen.

As I said, I learned how to grow a thick skin. But until you have people creating hate pages about you, it's hard to keep that skin intact.

Yes, hate pages. The profile I'm talking about posted several images of me with the words, "UGLY" and "PORN" written across them. I can't tell whether or not to take the second one as a compliment, to be honest.

Immediately, I was taken back. I couldn't decide whether to be hurt or to laugh. Thick skin, Kate. You have thick skin. Luckily, I remembered my own advice and decided to brush it off (for the most part). Honestly, if you decide to physically take the time out of your day to ruin mine, I'm flattered.

Here's the deal. Nobody should feel the need to be prepared for uncalled acts of cruelty from others, let alone strangers. I may never know who created the account, but I do know this: they are cold-hearted and insecure, but I am worthy and I never deserved to be treated with disrespect.

I was never bullied in grade school, but that doesn't mean bullies don't exist. Unfortunately, that is just the world we live in. Just know that it is never your fault if you come across someone who tries to tear you down for their own entertainment. Take it with a grain of salt. You were worth their time and energy, so they can't tell you that you weren't worth anything at all.